AP World History POD #19 – Revolutions in Europe Origins of the Industrial Revolution

Class Discussion Questions McKay – “The Industrial Revolution in Britain”, pp

What factors enabled the Industrial Revolution to take place in England? mercantilism and the Atlantic economy created an increased worldwide demand for British goods England had a network of rivers and canals to use for the transportation of goods There were no restrictive tariffs in England as there were in the fragmented German provinces agricultural productivity allowed the common man to spend more on luxury goods agricultural productivity allowed the need for fewer farms creating more urban laborers Britain had a central bank and credit markets to fund these expensive enterprises strong history of putting out system good energy resources- water and coal

What was the purpose of factories and how were they designed? the first factories in Britain were in the textile industry the putting out system was unable to meet increasing demands James Hargraves was able to meet increasing demands Richard Arkwright invented the water frame These inventions dramatically increased productivity and showed the limits of the putting out system As a result of these inventions cotton textile goods became cheaper and were bought and treasured by all classes working conditions in the early factories were less satisfactory than those of cottage weavers and spinners and people were reluctant to work in them as a result of this factory owners often turned to young children who had been abandoned by their parents and put in the care of local parishes

How did energy systems, and use, evolve during the Industrial Revolution? while water was an effective power source early in the industrial revolution it was not sufficient for the growing demands of the revolution wood was used for energy in the home but did not meet industrial demand coal was used starting in the late Middle Ages and became the dominant energy source of the industrial revolution

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the steam engine? a primitive engine was developed by Thomas Savey (1698) and Thomas Newcomen (1705) but this was not an effective or efficient tool James Watt (1760s) added a condenser to the primitive engines and greatly increased their efficiency

What are the strengths and weaknesses of coke and iron? Henry Cort developed the puddling furnace which allowed pig iron to be refined in turn with coke One scarce and expensive iron became the cheap basic indispensable building block of the economy

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the railroad? by the late 18th century roads and commercial waterways were abundant in England. These were effective means if transportation for people but not for industry George Stephenson (1825) developed the first locomotive called the “Rocket” Rail lines were soon built all over England Markets had been small and local but with the advent of the railroad larger markets encouraged the rise of larger factories with greater technological advancements to allow the production of even cheaper goods Railroads created the need for a large number of unskilled workers The railroad changed the outlook and values of the entire society. The last culminating invention of the Industrial Revolution, the railroad, dramatically revealed the power and increased speed of the new age.

What impact did the Industrial Revolution have on England? became the first industrial nation producing about 20% of the entire world’ output of industrial goods wealth and national income grew, although the increase in population consumed much of this wealth a more mobile labor force developed

How did the Industrial Revolution impact the balance of world power? By 1914 Great Britain and Germany were the dominant continental powers By 1914 the United States was emerging as an unrivaled Great Power By 1914 the Meiji Restoration turned Japan into the dominant Asian power By 1914 Russia was more backward than ever

Miscellaneous The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain around the 1780s and started to influence continental Europe after 1815 It has been argued that only the development of agriculture during the Neolithic times had a comparable impact and significance The Industrial Revolution helped ordinary people gain a higher standard of living as the widespread poverty of the pre-industrial world was gradually reduced