The Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution Why in England and western Europe and not somewhere else in the world? By: Donald Johnson Edited from a slideshow by JmClark

The Industrial Revolution Today, most historians agree that the Industrial Revolution was a turning point in the history of the world. It changed the Western world from a rural and agrarian society to an urban and industrial society.

Advent of change Starting around 1750 Great Britain was to set the pace in Europe for the next century or so, thanks to its lucrative agrarian industry, wealthy landowners and an astonishing number of creative inventors.

Cottage Industry Before the Industrial Revolution, textiles were produced under the putting-out system , in which merchant clothiers had their work done in the homes of artisans or farming families.

Cotton was spun and woven into cloth by hand in England until textile machinery, developed in the late 1700s, revolutionized its manufacture.

Spinning Jenny First on the scene were spinning machines. These were followed by mechanical looms and before long textile factories were shooting up all over the place.

Water power The first textile mills, needing waterpower to drive their machinery, were built on fast-moving streams in rural England.

An English Mill Town Period art showing the transformation of the countryside during the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain

Cotton mill A cotton mill, c. 1850 . By the mid-19th century, cotton manufacture was an entirely factory-based operation, notably in the Lancashire towns of Manchester and Oldham as shown in this photograph at right.

Child Labor When the industrial evolution first came to Britain and the U.S., there was a high demand for labor. Families quickly migrated from the rural farm areas to the newly industrialized cities to find work.

Work conditions Once they got there, things did not look as bright as they did. To survive in even the lowest level of poverty, families had to have every able member of the family go to work. This led to the high rise in child labor in factories. Children were not treated well, overworked, and underpaid for a long time before anyone tried to change things for them.

Labor The way people worked changed, as did they way they lived - not always for the better.

Industrial Revolution Britain changed more during this era than at any other time. People moved from the countryside to the new towns and cities.

Superpower Britain became the world's biggest superpower with the huge increase in industrial production, and imperial expansion.

Ironbridge Gorge The world’s first castiron bridge, spanning the Severn at Coalbrookdale, was built in 1779 using iron from furnaces owned by Darby. Considered the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, it had all the necessary ingredients for industrialization: coal, clay, ironstone, and limestone exposed at the surface.

Soana layout A map from 1761 illustrates in very fine detail, a group of buildings settled on the right bank of the Soana torrent. By the mid-1700s, the blood-red skies above the gorge meant power and success to the pioneering industrialists.

Iron

If textiles fueled the Industrial Revolution, iron was the scaffolding on which it was constructed.

Without iron, there could have been no meaningful industrialization.

Iron It was needed everywhere, from the framework of spinning mules to the boilers and cylinders of steam engines.

James Watts’ steam engine

Double acting stationary engine The huge ironworks would never have come into existence without the steam engine, the third great trigger of the age.

Population Growth

Population

begins to grow

especially in

England.

What are some possible explanations for this growth?

Is the population more urban or rural?

Population growth

resulted from:

agricultural revolution

expansion of trade

openness to innovation

Agricultural Revolution

Acceptance of potato

2-3 more times

more food per acre than the crops it replaced

Turnips, Legumes, and Clover

Easy on soil

Feed animals (milk available)

Population Growth

Agricultural Revolution leads to:

More dependable food supplies

Ends cyclical famine

Better nutrition leads to longer lifespan

More positive outlook on life

Population Growth

Dependable food supplies + good job opportunities = Younger average age of marriage

Earlier marriage increases the birthrate per couple

Early 19 th century 40% of England under the age of 15

Migration from countryside to cities

Changes in Trade

Bettering Transportation

Cottage Industries

Sweet Tooth for Europe

Sugar Cane from plantations most profitable item in international trade

Developing infrastructure The development of the railway stimulated the economy by providing cheap and efficient transport which lowered the carriage cost of goods.

Outcomes