Great Britain & the Industrial Revolution

What is a Revolution? A dramatic, liberal change to the status- quo. Revolutions, historically, are violent. However, they do not have to be. The Industrial Revolution was a progressive change to European society through the advent of new inventions.

RULE BRITANIA! “When Britain first, at Heaven's command Arose from out the azure main, Arose from, arose from out the azure main; This was the charter, the charter of the Land And Guardian Angels sang this strain: Rule Britannia, Britannia rule the waves! Britons never, ever, ever shall be slaves.”

Monarchs of Great Britain (1750—1837) George II George II George IIIGeorge III George IVGeorge IV William IVWilliam IV

Queen Victoria (1837—1901)

Fredericton Exhibition Palace (1864—1877)

The Largest Empire In 1800, most people in the world were self- governing. By 1914, almost half of the globe had been colonized by European countries. ¼ of Earth was colonized by the British Empire. It was Victoria’s belief that the British were the fittest nation on earth and were destined to survive. She intended to make sure. This known as social darwinism, after Charles Darwin (theory of Evolution).

Significant European Inventions The Printing Press Johan Guttenburg (1250)

Significant European Inventions The Spinning Wheel (1000 AD??)

Supply and Demand Cottage Industry: Weavers bought supplies (wool and cotton) merchants. They spun these into textiles. They sold their products for more then costs of the supplies to make a profit. PROFIT + LARGER INVESTMENT = HIGHER PROFIT A higher demand for the product means a higher profit. Therefore, you supply more product. When Demand is high, supply is high, profit is high. When demand is low, supply is low, profit is low. Often, inventors tried to keep up with supply and demand.

The ‘Flying Shuttle John Kay (1733) “10 times the work of a spinning wheel”

The ‘Water Frame Richard Arkwright (1769) “100 times the work of the spinning wheel”

The ‘Spinning Jenny’ James Hargreave (1770) “1000 times the work of the spinning wheel”

The ‘Steam Engine’ James Watt (1770)

The ‘Power Loom’ “ times the work of a spinning wheel”

The Factory System Obviously, the cottage industry could not keep up with supply and demand. These new machines were often too big to be put into homes so they were put into factories. Factories were located near a power source (coal, water, or forest.) Prices of mass produced textiles become less expensive to make and purchase than hand produced ones, thus forcing people out of work As a result, because of supply and demand workers in the cottage industry had to leave home to find work in the factories.

Working Conditions in Factories

Energy for the IR Factories need energy to create steam for their engines. Thus, factories were made near water sources and, at first, forests. Unfortunately, forests became quickly exhausted. Alternate energy sources were needed. Coal was the next available resource. Mining becomes a necessary industry, not only for coal, but for iron to make machines.

Mining

Transportation Machines are needed not only for producing products, but for transporting them, as well as the raw materials. Thus the train becomes a new form of transportation. Other forms of transportation are the use of canals.

Living Conditions