THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain

CAUSES Better agricultural practices lead to a larger food supply. More farmland Good weather Improved transportation New crops (potato) More food means lower prices. Lower prices mean people can spend money on manufactured goods

CAUSES Growth in Population More people means more demand More people means more workers Capital to Invest in Machines and Factories Many British are wealthy Entrepreneur – looking for new business opportunities and ways of making profits

CAUSES Great Britain has Abundant Natural Resources Good rivers that supply water power as well as transportation Coal Iron Ore Great Britain has a Supply of Markets Vast colonial empire Domestic markets – more demand in Great Britain

CHANGES IN PRODUCTION Cottage Industry is replaced with automation Edmund Cartwright (1787) I invented a water powered loom (weave). Workers go to the water James Hargraves invented the “spinning jenny” (thread) James Watt invented a steam powered engine – powered by coal Great Britain becomes the leading cotton producer in the world

CHANGES IN PRODUCTION Coal and Iron Railroads Coal powered the steam engines Steam engines required iron Railroad tracks required iron Railroads Important to the success of the Industrial Revolution Allowed mass goods to be transported 1804 – First steam locomotive Building tracks created new jobs for farm laborers and peasants

RESULTS Great Britain is the first industrialized nation and richest nation Produced ½ the worlds coal Produced ½ the worlds manufactured goods Great Britain was the world’s leading cotton producer Industrial Revolution Spreads To Western Europe To North America

RESULTS Growth of Cities and Population European population in 1750 = 140 million European population in 1850 = 266 million Decline in death rates –wars, disease, plague Increase in food supply City Growth Factories are located in cities People leave the farms and move to the city looking for jobs

RESULTS Social Classes Industrial Middle Class – Bourgeoisie Made up of factory owners, machine owners who search for markets Desire to make money! Industrial Working Class Factory workers Poor working conditions, hours, wages, job security – especially for women and children

Socialism Socialism is when a society or government owns or controls the means of production such as factories or utilities. The conditions experienced by the Working Middle Class prompted some intellectuals to want to replace competition with cooperation. Several attempts at a Utopian society failed.