History of Sweatshops

By NickFriedrichsen

  • The term sweatshop

    The year when the term sweatshop is first introduced. Refers to employees working in factories or workshops in poor conditions for low wages.
  • Period: to

    Sweatshops

  • The Spread Of Sweatshops

    Sweatshops began to spread starting in 1900 and continuing through the two world wars. They increased in popularity due to the heightened demand of manufacturing that countries felt during wartime.

  • Regulations and Rules

    In 1945, sweatshops began to take a hit due to the new regulations and rules that were being passed by governments. Sweatshops began to go out of business due to the high wages that sweatshop owners were being forced to pay.

  • The Return of Sweatshops in Foreign Countries

    Beginning in the 90's many American companies like Nike and Walmart began to utilize this type of labor again due to the low wages they would have to pay.

  • Nike Scandal

    In 1994, Nike suffered a huge scandal which exposed them of out sourcing labor to Pakistan, Vietnam, China, and Indonesia. They also we exposed of child labor and only paying adults 5$ a day.

  • ME to WE Organization

    In 2008, the ME to WE organization is launched, which helped build awareness about sweatshops, and also helped out unfortunate individuals in these countries that utilize sweatshops.