For a three-act plot analysis, put on your screenwriter’s hat. Moviemakers know the formula well: at the end of Act One, the main character is drawn in completely to a conflict. During Act Two, she is farthest away from her goals. At the end of Act Three, the story is resolved.
Act I
Marx says: Nothing characterizes the spirit of capital better than the history of English factory legislation from 1833 to 1864 (10.6.3), and that's what we'll look at for our plot analyses, as it's depicted in Chapter 10.
Under the Factory Act of 1833 (10.6.4), workers are facing abusive conditions, a 15-hour working day, and a relay system (10.6.6) that has children working at all times. That's the setup. By 1838—we can call this the end of Act I, when the workers commit to improving their lives—the workers make the concept of a ten hours' bill, which would ensure that the working day would only be ten hours (10.6.10).
Act II
The workers manage to get a Ten Hours' Act enforced on May 1, 1848 (10.6.20), but their fortunes soon change—and reach a very low point: the Court of Exchequer in February 1850 basically negates the Ten Hours' Act (10.6.32). Also, the working-class leaders are imprisoned, the working-class movement is ground down, and the manufacturers are violating the spirit of the regulations (10.6.23-26).
Act III
Time to conclude this jazz. Meetings and protests from the working class threaten the manufacturers (10.6.33). A compromise is reached: the Factory Act of 1850 is passed (10.6.34). Efforts by the manufacturers to cheat are met with resistance from the adult male workers (10.6.36). The laws are tightened up and more industries are brought under their scope (10.6.36-39).