Topic 5.3
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📍Topic 5.3 Industrial Revolution Begins
📖 AMSCO p.297 - p.303
Main Idea
⭐ In the early 1700s, Britain was largely classified as a pre-industrial society where a majority of households lived in rural areas and grew their own food. However, a high demand in cotton sparked a need for faster production times, and in the 1760s, due to technological innovation and its geographical advantages, Britain began to industrialize.
Key Timeline
Timeline of events surrounding the beginning of the Industrial Revolution
Image Courtesy of Liv
Things to Know
Agricultural Improvements
- Crop rotation and seed drill increased food production
- As a result of increased food production, there was a population growth
- Improved medical care —> decrease in infant mortality —> higher life expectancy —> more people to work in factories
Preindustrial Societies
- Before the Industrial Revolution, many families in Britain lived in rural areas, grew their own food, and made most of their own clothes
- The establishment of Britain as a maritime empire and their colonization of India led to Indian cotton being in high demand —> Britain established their own cotton industry in response
- Britain developed the cottage industry system where women spun cloth in their home with raw cotton from merchants
- This system gave women a bit more independence, but it was hard work with little pay
- Investors demanded faster production times, leading to the need for more technology
Technological Growth
- Spinning Jenny
- Invented by James Hargreaves in the 1760s
- Sped up the process by letting it spin more than one thread at a time
- Water Frame
- Patented by Richard Arkwright in 1769
- Used water power to power the spinning wheel
- Led to an increase in factories as the water frame was more productive than one person’s labor and the industry needed somewhere to house these big machines
- Because of this, Arkwright is known as the father of the factory system
- Interchangeable Parts
- Invented by Eli Whitney in 1798
- Developed a system where if a particular part of the machine broke, the broken part could easily be replaced with a new, identical part rather than replace the whole machine
- This system led to the division and specialization of labor
- This concept was expanded with Henry Ford’s invention of the assembly line
Advantages for Industrialization in Britain
- Britain’s location on the Atlantic Ocean, as well as its many rivers with canals and harbors, made the transport of raw materials and finished products inexpensive
- Also due to their location on the ocean, the British had the world’s best ships, giving them an advantage in transporting goods
- Mineral Resources
- Located on top of a lot coal deposits, it powered steam engines and separated iron from its ore, allowing for the construction of larger bridges and taller buildings
- Resources from the Colonies
- Had access to resources available in the colonies
- Due to the trans-Atlantic slave trade, British capitalists had excess capital
- This allowed private entrepreneurs to create new commercial ventures
- Growing Population and Urbanization
- Increase in agricultural production = increase in population and decrease in amount of agricultural workers needed
- Additionally, the enclosure movement pushed many farmers off land
- Because of these things, many farmers began to move from rural areas into urban areas like Liverpool and Manchester
- These migrants ended up becoming a part of the factory workforce
- Protection of Private Property
- Britain’s private property protection laws allowed for more innovation as entrepreneurs were assured their businesses would not be taken away
Terms to Remember
| Term | Definition + Significance |
|---|---|
| Industrial Revolution | The transition from a predominantly agricultural economy to one characterized by industrial and mechanical manufacturing |
| Industrialization | Increased mechanization of production |
| Agricultural revolution | A specific period in human civilization where farming techniques drastically improved |
| Division of labor | Different tasks in the assembly line are assigned to different people |
| Specialization of labor | The ability for individuals to become really good at one specific task due to repetition on an assembly line |
| Enclosure movement | A policy where the government fenced off public government property used by farmers in order to give it to people who paid for the land |
| Capital | Money available to invest in businesses |
| Raw materials | Materials used in the primary production of manufactured goods |