Topic 15: The Industrial Revolution
Objectives
Knowledge 1.
2.
3.
4.
To know how the Industrial Revolution came about
To understand how society changed as a result
To know the advantages and disadvantages of the Industrial
Revolution
To consolidate the concept of change and continuity
Skills
1.
2.
3.
To draw timelines
To analyse data
To compare sources
Attitude
To have correct attitude towards changes and challenges
Teaching Flow
Items
Format
Teaching Objectives
Content
Question to
ponder
To know
more
Question
How did steam change
our world?
Major changes that
began in Britain
3
Task 1
Data-based
question and
matching
4
Task 2
5
Task 3
To focus students’
learning goal
To let students have
some basic ideas about
the Industrial Revolution
To help students
understand the
relationship between the
Industrial Revolution and
sources of power
To let students
understand the
importance of steam
engine
To let students find out
how society changed as a
result of the Industrial
Revolution
6
Conclusion
Data-based
activity and
extended
activity(1)
Picture reading,
data-based
activity,
comparison,
categorization and
extended
activity(2-3)
Summary chart
To consolidate the
knowledge and concepts
learnt in this topic
1
2
Brief introduction
Different sources of
power
Different inventions
Did the Industrial
Revolution improve or
harm the lives of
people?
The concept of change
and continuity
1
Question to ponder
How did steam change our world?
To know more
What was the Industrial Revolution?

It all happened from the 18th to the 19th century in Britain and later
Europe, North America, and eventually the world.

Major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and transport took
place.

The changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution never ends.
Task 1: How did the industrial revolution come about?
Source A is about different sources of power in the 17th and 18th centuries.
2
Electricity applied increasingly only from the 1880s. Motor cars run on the internal
combustion engine, as you know. That, however, was also invented in the 1880s. From
the name, you can deduce that something burns in the internal combustion engine, that
is, petrol. Before the internal combustion engine was invented, the machine which
might have driven an engine, such as a railway engine, was the steam engine, driven by
steam rather than the spark from burning petrol. The steam engine was invented in
1778. Before that, you might have pushed or pulled the cart with your own hands, or
allow it to be drawn by an animal.
1. List all the sources of power out in Source A.
Suggested answers:
Sources of power
1. electricity
2. petrol
3. steam
4. animals
5. human
Topic 15: Industrial Revolution
2.
Match the above sources of power onto the timeline below.
Animals/ human
Steam
Electricity/ petrol
1778
1880
Steam engine
Now
Electric lighting & Internal
combustion engine
Task 2: Looking for new sources of power
Before the Industrial Revolution, wind, water, animals were the main energy sources.
However, they were not powerful enough to drive new machines. New sources of power
had to be found.
Source B is about the steam engine.
James Watt, often described as the inventor of the steam engine, effectively made the
steam engine a more efficient machine.
The steam engine gave us a new motive force. But a motive force was only useful if it
could turn something. If the steam engine was not adapted to produce circular motion,
it would have remained a water pump.
1.
Who made the steam engine more than a water pump?
Suggested answer:
2.
3
James Watt.
Refer to Source B, how was steam engine different from a water pump?
Suggested answer:
An adapted steam engine could produce circular motion but a
water pump could not perform the same function.
Source C
Below are some of the machines invented during the Industrial Revolution. Take a look and
see what improvements were made by the steam engine.
a. John Kay invented the flying shuttle in 1733. The production of textiles greatly increased.
Flying shuttle
Loom fitted with flying shuttle (1733)/ Hand Loom
Source: PLANCHES, L'Encyclopédie ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des metiers (online),
http://diderot.alembert.free.fr/PLANCHES/PLANCHES03.pdf (p. 269).
b. James Hargreaves invented the Spinning jenny in 1764. The spinning Jenny marked the
beginning of the Industrial Revolution. The production of textiles increased greatly.
Spinning jenny (1764)
Source:：http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Spinning_jenny.jpg
c. Richard Arkwright invented the Water frame in 1769. It produced stronger yarn.
4
Spinning frame/ Water frame (1769)
d. The “Rocket”, the steam locomotives invented by George Stephenson in 1829, could
run at 58 km/h.
The “Rocket”, 1829 (Use: Railway engines)
Source:http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Stephenson%27s_Rocket_drawing.jpg
Topic 15: Industrial Revolution
e. The invention of ships driven by steam by Robert Fulton in 1807.
The “ Clermont,” 1807 (Use: Propelling steamships (or “steamers”))
Source:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Clermont_illustration_-_Robert_Fulton_-_Project_Gutenberg_eText_15161.jpg
3. Take a look at pictures a-e in Source C and guess how were they driven.
Suggested answer: At first, by hand or water, and then the steam engine.
Extended activity (1)
Short essay: Why did so many inventions come about in such a short time of a
hundred years?
Suggested answers:

We may assume that England had a less rigid class structure than Europe. Quite a few
inventors were people from working class background.

The discovery of new sources of power.

The various developments reinforced one another.

It was the steam engine that brought about the idea that technology could create a new
world.
Task 3: Did the Industrial Revolution improve or harm the lives of
people?
Manchester was an important town of textile industry in Britain in the 19th century.
5
Source D1
Manchester (in 1750)
Source D2
6
Manchester (in the first half of 19th century)
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Image%3ACottonopolis1.jpg
1. Discussion:
Look at Sources D 1 and 2, discuss the change of a) the health b) the air quality
c) conditions in cities between the two pictures.
Guidelines of discussion

The environment would have changed; the growth of industry must have
been quite damaging to air quality, and, therefore, health. (Look at the tall
chimneys in the Picture).

Conditions in cities would have changed (would there have been enough
houses to live in?)
Topic 15: Industrial Revolution
Source E is about the “Domestic System” and “Factory System”.
Before factories became common, most workers worked at home. Machines
would have been turned by hand, and work would have been organised on a
small scale. When factories became common, workers worked together in a team.
The machines were soon turned by the steam engine and work would have been
organised on a much larger scale.
Working with machines meant that workers could be much more productive. So,
much more cotton yarn and cloth was produced than when work was done by
hand. That also means that yarn and cloth became cheaper and many more people
could afford to use it for clothes.
2. With reference to Source E, find out the differences between “Domestic System”
and and “Factory System” by choosing the correct answer in the table below
Teaching Tips:
Higher ability students are asked to write in sentences while lower
ability are asked to choose and underline the answer.
Suggested answers:
7
Domestic system
Factory system
1
Workers work at home/factory
Workers work at home/factory
2
Machines were turned by
hand/steam engine
Machines were turned by hand/steam engine
3
Work was organized on a
small/large scale
Work was organized on a small/large scale
4
Less/much productive
Less/much productive
5
Products became
expensive/cheaper
Products became expensive/cheaper
Extended activity (2)
If you were born in the 18th century and wanted to start your own business,
which production system would you like to choose? Why?
Suggested answer: Free answer
(May consider these factors: money, manpower, products, market size, production
technology etc.)
Source F
Social problems brought about by the Industrial Revolution
3.

Before the eighteenth century, Europe had very few large cities. Most cities
would not have had a larger population than a district in Hong Kong
nowadays.

The rapid expansion of cities brought about many social problems. Think
about the easy spread of disease when many people lived together. Think
about the need to separate the supply of clean water from the sewage.

There were not enough houses, and so these cities were overcrowded. Slums
were left very much to themselves.

The steam engine had to be driven by coal, its wide employment in the
factories meant that industrial towns were extremely polluted.

There was periodic unemployment because many more people came into the
cities than there were jobs for them. You can see that law and order was also a
problem.

The novels of Charles Dickens are a useful source of information for many of
these issues.
According to Source F, draw a spider web to show the social problems created by the
Industrial Revolution.
8
?
?
?
Social
Example:
Problems
?
Unemployme
nt
?
?
Suggested answer:
Poor sanitary condition, overcrowded cities, air pollution, not enough houses,
spread of disease
Topic 15: Industrial Revolution
Source G
In the early stages of the Industrial Revolution, say up to the mid 19th century, the
workers had quite a hard life. The rapid growth of industry created many problems.
One of these problems was child labour.
Another problem was the long working hours and harsh working conditions, not
only in the factories, but also the mines. There was no legal protection for workers.
Wages were also low. It took a generation for workers to organise into trade unions,
and almost a century for laws of election to change so that workers might also be
given the vote.
4. According to Source G, what problems were the workers facing?
Suggested answers:

Long working hours

Harsh working conditions

No legal protection

Low wages

No trade unions formed to protect them

No political rights (cannot vote)
9
Source H is about Karl Marl’s ideas in the Communist Manisfesto :
Modern Industry has changed the little workshop into the industrial capitalist’s
great factory. Masses of workers, crowded into the factory, are organized like
soldiers.... Not only are they slaves of the middle class, and of the middle class
state; they are often enslaved by the machine, by the overlooker, and, above all, in
the individual manufacturer himself.
5. Refer to Source H, which class (es) will benefit most and which class (es) will
suffer most?
Suggested answer::
Benefit most
industrial capitalist
manufacturer
middle class
Suffer most
workers
6.
If you were the one of the industrial capitalists, how did you feel at the time?
Suggested answer: Free answer
7. What can you conclude form Sources A-H? Which sources are related to the benefits of the
Industrial Revolution and which sources are related to the harm of the Industrial Revolution?
Use a table to illustrate. Please tick the appropriate box.
Suggested answer:
Benefits
Harm



Source A
Source B
Source C
Source D

Benefits
Harm





Source E
Source F
Source G
Source H
10
Extended activity(3)
Essay writing:
“The Industrial Revolution brought both harm and benefits”. Discuss the
validity of this statement by using the information from Sources A-H and your
own knowledge.
Suggested answers:
Give concrete examples from Sources A-H to show the extent of harm and benefit the
Industrial Revolution brought about.
Benefits
Harm
Source A: Steam engine
Source D: Impact on environment
Source B:
Steam engine
Source F: Social problems
Source C:
Inventions
Source G: Social problems
Source E: Factory system
Source H: Class struggle
Own knowledge:
e.g. Benefits:
Harm:
led to agricultural, medical and technological development
led to rise of colonial empires which looked for raw materials and
overseas markets.
Topic 15: Industrial Revolution
Summary
A series of changes came about in England, the Agrarian Revolution, the Transport
Revolution, the Textile Revolution, and the invention of the steam engine, bringing
about the Industrial Revolution. Among the most important inventions of the time was
the steam engine. It transformed production and transport. By making it easier to
produce in large quantities and to move goods around, industrial development improved
the standard of living of many people. However, it also led to pollution and the gathering
of large populations into cities, and these changes created many social problems.
Summary chart
摘要圖
The Industrial Revolution
11
How did the Industrial
Revolution come about?
New sources of
power
e.g. - Electricity
- Petrol
- Steam
Technological
advances + inventions
e.g. - Steam engine
Effects
Aspects
Positive effects
Negative effects
1
Social
e.g. population
growth and
urbanization
e.g. child labour
and poor
working
conditions
2
Political
e.g. change the
laws of election
e.g. no legal
protection for
labour
3
Economic
e.g. beginning
of the factory
system
e.g. disparity
between the
employers and
the workers
- Transportation
- Machinery
- Industry