19-1 The Industrial Revolution

Industrial Revolution Began in Great Britain 1780s Causes Expansion of farmland, good weather, improved transportation, and new crops = increased food supply More people can be fed at lower price w/less labor 2. With more food = bigger population. Enclosure movement (fenced off common land) = more people moving to the city to work in factories

Cont. Britain had ready supply of money to invest in new machines and factories. Laissez-faire market economy controlled by supply and demand, not gov’t 4. Britain had plentiful natural resources. Rivers for transportation, coal and iron ore. 5. Britain had supply of market; had vast colonial empire.

Changes in Cotton Production Cotton was woven into cloth by independent people in their own homes or cottages - “cottage industry” Technological innovations make spinning cloth faster and cheaper Spinning Jenny (1764) – James Hargreaves Water -powered loom (1787) – Edmund Cartwright Steam-powered loom/engine (1782) – James Watt (steam engines fired by coal, not water)

Great Britain went from importing 2. 5 million lbs Great Britain went from importing 2.5 million lbs. of raw cotton in 1760 to 22 million in 1787 By 1840, Great Britain was importing 366 million pounds of cotton a year. Cotton became Britain’s most valuable product. Spinning Jenny Steam-powered engine

New Industries Coal and Iron Factories Rise in steam engine led to increase in coal/coal related industry production Improved quality of iron using a process called “puddling” (burn out impurities from iron) Factories Used workers in shifts to complete repetitive tasks Little regulation of working conditions/punishment Harsh treatment of children

Railroads Iron/steam engine had biggest impact on railroad industry First steam locomotive (1804) – Richard Trevithick Expansion of railroads caused a “ripple effect” throughout all other industries: jobs, factories, production, raw materials, etc. Less expensive transportation led to lower priced goods

The Spread of Industrialization World’s first industrial nation, Great Britain, became the richest Europe Spread at different times and speed Belgium, France, and German states were 1st North America 1800 – 6/7 people were farmers. 1860 – 50% 1st Paddle-wheel steamboat (1807) – Robert Fulton Most important development was railroad

Social Impact in Europe Cities grew and 2 new social classes: industrial middle class and industrial working class Industrial middle class: people who built the factories, bought the machines, and developed the markets. Industrial working class: workers who faced wretched working conditions and no employment security Death rates declined b/c better fed people were more resistant to diseases Famine and poverty were 2 factors in global migration and urbanization

Bad working conditions (coal mines) Dangerous conditions  cave-ins, explosions, gas fumes Cramped conditions and constant dampness led to workers’ deformed bodies and ruined lungs (cotton mills) Dirty, dusty, dangerous, unhealthy Socialism: in this economic system, societies, usually in the form of the gov’t, owns and controls some means of production such as factories and utilities; would allow for wealth distribution