Industrial Revolution
(c. 1750s - 1914)
What is the Industrial Revolution?
Widespread change from human labor to machines
Invention & Technology?
Equipment or ideas that assist man
in overcoming his environment
Causes & Effects
Causes:
• Agricultural revolution providing more food for more people
• Availability of capital $$$ for investment
• Development of the factory system based on steam power
Effects: (+ positive/- negative)
• + More and cheaper goods
• + New social classes
• +/- Growth of cities
• + Short-term suffering for workers (- Exploitation)
• + Long-term improvement in standards of living
• - Degradation of the environment
The Spread of Industrialism
Great Britain:
– Lost its industrial monopoly as its ideas & products spread
abroad
France:
– Industrial development proceeded slowly (Rev/Nap)
– Allowed farming and small business to remain dominant in its
economy
Germanies: (Not united, yet)
– With government aid, industry forged ahead
– Once Germany unites in 1871, industrialization takes off
United States:
– Developed its industry in the Northeast
– Used British capital $$$ and local mechanical skills
Japan:
– Developed into an industrial power by 1914
Four Stages
(begins after the agricultural revolution)
1. Water power in the textile industry
2. Improved mechanical devices
3. Steam power
4. Transportation/communication devices
5. Later developments
6. Technological advances due to warfare
7. Age of Technology
8. Age of Information
st
1
Stage
1730 – 1770, was the period of time when men such as…
– Watt developed the woolen spinner
– Kay gave us the flying shuttle
– Hargreaves the spinning jenny
• made the production of textiles faster & more
efficient
– Watt developed a steam engine
• more efficient & safe than the engine developed by
Thomas Newcomen in 1705
• At this time, steam power was not put to use in the
textile industries
–Still relied on waterpower
nd
2
Stage
1770 – 1792
– Previous mechanical devices were improved upon
– Advances were to aid the cotton industry
– Development of Crompton's spinning mule &
Cartwright's power loom
– Problems to further industrialization was a need to find
something powerful to drive the new machinery
• Water wheel hampered the marketing of woolen &
cotton goods produced  factories could only exist
with a constant water supply
rd
3
Stage
1792 – 1830
Steam power began to be applied to the
earlier mechanical devices, making their use
more efficient and widespread.
In addition to using steam power to operate
existing machinery, we see the addition of
Whitney's cotton gin, Herrick's dressing
machine, and the throttle.
th
4
Stage
1830 – early 1900's
– Further application of steam power  modes of
transportation, which aided in the making &
transporting of goods
– With a steam engine, trains became an integral
part of transportation & opened the door for
another method of transportation  automobile
– Control the steam  internal combustion engine
 practical automobile
Land, Labor, & Capital:
3 Factors of Production
In addition to these inventions, it should be stressed
that Britain was the leader of this period because of
the various conditions that existed in the country at
the time. These conditions were:
1. Large labor force as a result of the shift from
agriculture  industry, due to advances in
agriculture
2. Large store of coal & iron ore as well as cotton
from their colonies
3. Wealth which supplied capital $$$ for
investments to begin new businesses
4. Entrepreneurs to organize & manage
these businesses (educated)
5. Fleet of merchant ships
6. Geographical location w/many ports &
internal canal system to ship
materials/goods
7. Overseas colonies w/which to trade & to
use as sources of raw materials
The Effects of Industrial Revolution
Positive
Brought many advances in the 19th century
Farmers began to be replaced by machines  were
able to produce more in less time
 Appeared to be beneficial
 Increased food production  better diet for
people  healthier & larger pop
Negative
Misery & suffering among the commoners
Forced many farmers to move to cities to find work
 New urban dwellers had little $
 They lived in overcrowded, disease-breeding
slums
To improve their standard of living, families set out Jobs were held by children as young as 8 yrs old.
 Men, women & children were subject to
to work in the mines & factories
horrible working conditions  14-16 hours/day,
6 days/week  low salary
Factory Act of 1833 limited the working day for
children ages 9 – 13 to no more than 8 hours;
children ages 14 – 18 could work no more than 12
hours
Mines Act of 1842 stated that no women, or boys
under the age of 13, could work in the mines
Ten Hours Act limited the working day for women &
children under 18 yrs to 10 hours
By 1874, the 10-hour workday was extended to all
workers
Effects Continued
Positive
Negative
Workers began to try to improve their working & living conditions
Before the 1820s, Combination Acts, workers were
not allowed to organize unions
By 1878, they could strike
 Early unions, not powerful & could not strike
Wages increased; goods could be produced in greater
quantities. This lowered the prices of goods & the
standard of living improved
Employers realized that workers would be more
productive if their working conditions were safer &
healthier
Governments helped protect workers who, because
of illness, accident, or old age were unable to work,
by providing insurance funds and old age pensions.
They also began a system of unemployment
insurance for workers who lost jobs as a result of
business failure or economic slowdown.
Cities began to improve  provide adequate
water/sewage system, rebuild rundown homes &
repair / widen streets
From 1750 – 1910, people had gone through a complete metamorphosis, from farmer & slum dweller,
working 14 hours a day for next to nothing  a citizen who was capable of earning a decent living,
receiving an education & assurance that there would be some hope in old age & a better life for children
ISMS
• Mercantilism
• Capitalism
–Laissez-faire
• Marxism
• Socialism
• Communism
MERCANTILISM
During the 1600’s, the theory of Mercantilism was a
national economic policy used throughout Europe.
This theory held that a state’s power depended on its
wealth. The goal of every nation was to become as
wealthy as possible. Europeans believed that the
measure of a nation’s wealth was the amount of
bullion (gold & silver) it owned.
During the Industrial Rev, European businessmen
rejected the idea of mercantilism because of the
governmental controls over business. Many supported
laissez-faire (“let them alone”), policy allowing
business to operate w/out government interference.
 CAPITALISM
CAPITALISM
Adam Smith:
• Scottish economist who figured out how laissez-faire
would work.
• He wrote, The Wealth of Nations (1776), a book about
capitalism and the economy.
• He stated that an economy works best when the natural
forces of supply and demand operate without government
interference.
• Individual sellers and buyers act on self-interest.
• He believed that a natural order in the universe made all
individual striving for self-interest add up to the common
good.
• Inexpensive production leads to low prices.
• Efficient producers make profit, hire more workers, and
continue to expand.
MARXISM
Economic & political philosophy named after Karl Marx (1818-1883)
• German social philosopher & revolutionary (in 1844) met in Paris
w/Friedrich Engels (long collaboration)
Cornerstone of Marxism  history is determined by economics
• Marx asserted that economic crises will result in increased poverty
– inspire the working class (proletariat) to revolt
– ousting the capitalists (bourgeoisie)
• working class seizes control & institute system of economic
cooperation & a classless society
• Marx predicted the failure of the capitalist system
– Belief  history of society is “the history of class struggle”
• Marxism still has its followers but most scholars discredit predictions
– citing improved conditions for workers in industrialized nations
 brought about by the evolution of capitalism
SOCIALISM
Socialism is the belief that the means
of production…
–capital, land, raw materials, & factories
should be owned and controlled by
society, either directly or through the
government.
Wealth would be
distributed equally among all citizens.
COMMUNISM
Last stage of Marxism
Without private property…
• classes would vanish
• government would wither away
The governing principle would be…
“from each according to his ability, to
each according to his need”
DIFFERENCE B/TW SOC & COM
In practice, little distinction b/tw the 2 systems:
both rely on the elimination of private property and
the collective ownership of goods.
In Marxist theory, there are distinctions:
Capitalism  Socialism (transition state)  Communism
Socialism: state/gov’t still exists, and is in control of
property & the programs of collectivization.
Communism: Final stage of society  state/gov’t
dissolves. Economic goods & property are distributed
=ly among the people.