3. The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the
19th century where major changes in agriculture,
manufacturing, mining, transport, and technology had a
profound effect on the and cultaral conditions starting in the
UK, then subsequently spreading throughout Europe, North
America, and eventually the world.
The Industrial Revolution marks a major turning point in
human history; almost every aspect of daily life was
eventually influenced in some way. Most notably, average
income and population began to exhibit unprecedented
sustained growth. In the two centuries following 1800, the
world's average per capita income increased over 10-fold,
while the world's population increased over 6-fold. In the
words of Nobel Prize winning Robert lucas J.R. "For the first
time in history, the living standards of the masses of ordinary
people have begun to undergo sustained growth. ... Nothing
remotely like this economic behavior has happened before.

4. Before The Industrial Revolution
Before the dawn of the Industrial Revolution Britain was a quite
different place to the one that exists today. Industrialisation
brought with it new types of roads, trains and many other forms
of communications which simply did not exist prior to
industrialisation. So before the Industrial Revolution it was very
hard to keep in touch with people in other parts of the country.
News was spread by travellers or through messengers and goods
were distributed largely within the locality in which they were
produced.
Because it was so hard to move around: and remember, there were
no cars, aeroplanes or even tarmac roads, people had to rely
upon themselves and their communities to provide the vast
majority of the things that they needed. Food was produced
locally, agriculture could provide for but a few large
commercial towns. Clothing was made locally, making use of
animal hides and furs: nylon wasn't an option and cotton wasn't
imported in large quantities until developments enabled mass
production of goods.

5. Life was, for the bulk of the population, the life of a farmer. By the 18th
century the feudal system was long gone, but in it's place was a system
in which the people were as reliant upon each other and their master as
before.
In general then, people worked in villages and small towns, working the
land and relying upon the local community to provide for them. Some
people were fortunate enough to benefit from imported goods which
came into ports such as London and Bristol in increasing quantities from
the Elizabethan age onwards. What was manufactured was done making
use of natural elements. Windmills for example could make the life of a
miller easier.
Education was poor, only the rich being catered for by nannies and
private tutors. There were of course schools and several universities.
These were not for the ordinary man or woman though. Politics was
based upon land ownership and military honors won, with women and
ordinary men given few rights. Life as a result was a constant battle
against famine, a wicked landlord, overwork and sheer bad luck.
Industrialisation would CHANGE ONLY SOME OF THESE WORRIES

6. Changes In Agriculture
Britain in 1700, was large a rural, agricultural society. Most people
lived on farms. They worked for many hours growing their own
food, making their own clothing, and collecting firewood to warm
their houses in the damp, cold climate. Life was simple and hard.
Most people were poor and, if harvest failed, they risked
starvation. There were no organized social welfare programs,
medical practices were primitive, sickness and disease were
common, infant mortality was high, and the average life
expectancy was low. All of this was to change.

7. Enlarging The Farms
Between 1760 and 1830, much of the farmland in Britain was consolidated into
large farms through a series of measures callled the Enclosure Acts which were
passed by the British Parliament. The purpose of the Acts was to make farming
more effecient. Over the centuries, the famrland in Britain had been divided and
subdivided into large number of small strips. This happened for several
reasons. Large landowners with several children might divide the land among
them, and farmers bought and sold small strips from one another. In time,
wealthier farmers owned a number of small strips of land scattered around the
village. Many wealthier farmers felt they needed to consolidate the scattered
pieces of land so that effecient, large-scale production techniques could be
used.
Large blocks of common land was available for community use. This land was
important to the farmers wiht small farms because they had the right to graze
their animals on it. They also had the gleaning rights. This meant that they
could gather wood for fuel in the woodlands and pick up any left over grain after
harvest. The farmers with larger farms thought that the common lands could be
put to better use. They knew if the common lands were 'enclosed' by
Parliament, the small peasant farmers would not be able to continue to farm on
their small strips of land and would have to sell it. The effect would be on
redistribution of the small strip farms into larger more effecient units.

8. Changes In Agricultural Methods
. The Encosure Acts created large, effecient farms run by
wealthy farmers who were willing and able to try new ideas.
Two such farmers, Viscount Charles Townshend and Jethro
Tull, increased the effeciency of farming methods with two
innovations during this period.
Townshend introduced a new system of crop rotation.
Traditionally, crops were grown in a three-field system over a
three-year period. With the three-field system, there were only
two fields with crops. Each field's soil recovered its fertility
during its fallow year when no crop was sown. Townshend
introduced a four-year rotation cycle using four crops, each
sown in separate fields. Instead, adding manure and sowing a
crop of clover helped to restore the fields' fertility.
The new system was much more productive, yet no more

9. Proto-industrialization:
The period of industrialization before the first factories came
up in Europe is termed as proto-industrialization. This period
was marked by merchants from towns getting products made
in villages.
Reasons for focus of merchants on villages: There were
powerful trade and craft guilds in urban areas. These
associations controlled competition and prices and
prevented entry of a new player in the market. Because of
them, it was difficult for new merchants to set business in
towns.

10. Features of proto-industrialization in Britain:
The merchants supplied money to the peasants in
the countryside. They motivated them to produce
products for an international market.
Land was becoming scarce in villages. Small plots
of land were not enough to meet the need of a
growing population. Peasants were looking for some
additional sources of income.
The proto-industrial system was a network of
commercial exchanges. It was controlled by
merchants. Goods were produced by peasants who
worked within their family farms and not in factories.
The finished product passed through several stages
and reached the markets of London. From London,
the products were supplied to the international

11. THE COMING UP OF FACTORY
The earliest factories in England came up in the 1730s. By
late 18th century, there were numerous factories dotting the
landscape of England. In 1760 Britain was importing 2.5
million pounds of raw cotton. This quantity increased to 22
million pounds by 1787.
Benefits of factories: The factories increased efficiency of
workers. Because of new machines a worker could produce
better products in much bigger quantities. Cotton textiles
were the main area in which industrialization happened.
Managing and supervising the labour was much easier in
factories than it was in the countryside.

12. The pace of Industrial Change
Cotton and metals were the most dynamic industries in Britain.
During the first phase of industrialization (upto 1840s), cotton
was the leading sector. The iron and steel industries grew
rapidly with the expansion of railways. The railways expanded
in England from the 1840s and in the colonies from 1860s. By
1873, the export of iron and steel from Britain was valued at
about 77 million pounds. This was double the value of cotton
export.
At the end of the nineteenth century, less than 20% of total
workforce was employed in technologically advanced industrial
sectors. This shows that the traditional industry could not be
displaced by the new industries.
The cotton or metal industries could not set the change of pace
in the traditional industries. But the traditional industries
experienced many changes which were brought by small and
apparently ordinary innovations. Food processing, building,
pottery, glasswork, tanning, furniture making and production of

13. The new technology took a long time to spread across the industrial
landscape. High cost of machines and costly repair scared the
merchants and industrialists. The new machines were not as effective
as claimed by their inventors and manufacturers.
Historians acknowledge the fact that the typical worker in the mid-
nineteenth century was not a machine operator but the traditional
craftsperson and labourer.
Hand Labour and Steam Power: During this period, there was no
shortage of human labour. Because of good supply of workers, there
was no problem of labour shortage or high wages. As a result, the
merchants and industrialists preferred to manage with human
labour rather than investing in costly machines.
Machine-made goods were standardized and could not match the
high quality finish of hand-made goods. The people from the upper
classes preferred things produced by hand.
The situation was different in nineteenth century America. There
was shortage of labour in America and hence mechanization was the
only way out in that part of the world.

16. - Protective Tariff - To stop the import of certain goods and to protect
the domestic goods a tariff was imposed. This tariff was imposed in
order to save the domestic goods from the competition of imported
goods and also to save the interest of local producers.
- Laissez, Faire - According to the economists, for the fast trade a
policy
of Laissez Faire should be applied whereby government should
neither
interfere in trade nor in the industrial production. This policy was
introduced
by a British economist named Adam Smith.
- Policy of Protection - The policy to be applied in order to protect the
newly formed industry from stiff competition.
- Imperial preference - During British period, the goods imported from
Britain to India be given special rights and facilities.
- Chamber of commerce - Chamber of commerce was established in
the
19th century in order to take collective decisions on certain important
issues concerning trade and commerce. Its first office was set up in
Madras.