The very size of the factory made such a social change inevitable, the personal relation which marked medieval industry was no longer possible.

Machinery then did two things.

On the one hand, it destroyed the position of the workman as a self-sufficing industrial unit, and made him dependent on a capitalist for employment and the means of supporting life.

On the other hand, it weakened the sense of responsibility in the employer towards his workmen in proportion as the dependence of the latter became more absolute.
With each step in the growth of the factory system the workman became more dependent, and the employer more irresponsible.

Thus we note the first industrial effect of machinery in the formation of two definite industrial classes--the dependent workman, and the irresponsible employer.