In France at the time peasants were very heavily taxed, so they could not spend money on industrial luxuries. Therefore the Industrial Revolution didn't really catch on. Also, France had it's own revolution at the time- the French Revoultion. They were therefore too busy for the challenges of industrialization. In Britain peasants were not as heavily taxed, so they didn't have to spend half their salaries on bread. They could enjoy the luxuries of the Industrial Age, so they more readily accepted the harsher working conditions.
The Industrial Revolution made the farmer's life much easier, so most farmers readily accepted it.
Due to certain aspects of British society there was more room for acceptance of the Industrial Revoultion. The middle class was blurred into the upper class so that the nobility could not really be legally or politically favored. The gentry was perfectly happy in their positions and the peasants were better off than in France because they couldn't be very restricted. Also, because of the constitutional monarchy in place at the time, the peasants were guaranteed certain rights, such as property ownership. In this way the lower classes actually saw the "Revolution", while in most other countries only the nobility benefitted.
The Industrial Revolution allowed many peasants to move up on the social ladder (forgive the cliche`)by allowing them to start their own business that could be very profitable. There was a downside, though. Most of these businesses went the way most internet companies do now- 95% aren't around the next year. (When will we learn???) Many did become rich, and since the Industrial Revolution was primarily a British incident, it became a fire that fed itself.
Obviously, life during the industrial revolution had it's downfalls. One of these was smoke-and lots of it!! Also, growth in sectors other than industry and agriculture almost stagnated, putting many out of their jobs.