The first Industrial Revolution summary The Industrial Revolution was one of the most important events in human history and dramatically transformed life for people throughout the world. While it first began in Britain, its effects later spread to other parts of Europe, the Americas and parts of Asia. In general, the Industrial Revolution unfolded in a series of stages which historians refer to as the First Industrial Revolution and the Second Industrial Revolution. It can be described as a shift from a system based on agriculture to a system based on large scale machine manufacturing/ industrialization. There were many factors that contributed to this: - the impact of European Imperialism, the colonies created during the Age of Imperialism supplied the European countries with large amounts of raw materials that could then be used to produce goods in the factories. One of the most important was coal, Coal was a necessary ingredient in the industrial process as it fueled the steam engines that were used in trains, ships and all other sorts of machinery. Another example was cotton from America - The financial resources coming from the British colonies, For example, the Trade Triangle developed in the Atlantic Ocean during this time. In the Trade Triangle, European factories were fed with resources from North and South America. In turn, the goods produced were shipped and sold in Africa in exchange for slaves. The slaves were then transported to North and South America to work on plantations producing raw materials such as cotton, which would then be taken again to European factories - the effects created by the Agricultural Revolution. involved new farming techniques, the use of machinery in farming, and the increase of private land ownership, increased food supplies but also led to a dramatic increase in the population of the country, a lot of farmers remained with no job and were forced to leave countries. This caused a mass migration of farmers to the town and cities in search of work. As a result, this created a large workforce that factory and mine owners could then exploit The First Industrial Revolution began in the 18th century, from 1760 to 1820/40 and focused primarily on textile manufacturing and steam power, iron production and development in transportation system. NEW INVENTIONS: - The first steam engine was created by Thomas Newcomen in 1712. In the 1760’s, James Watt improved on and perfected the design. - In 1764, James Hargreaves, a carpenter, developed a way to speed up spinning. He did this by attaching several spindles to a single spinning wheel. Using this spinning jenny, as it was called, a person could spin several threads at once. In 1769, Richard Arkwright developed a spinning machine, called the water frame, that could hold up to 100 spindles and was capable of producing strong yarn. The invention helped the British cotton industry because it increased the production of cotton and made it cheaper. - The transportation system increases, a lot of new roads, canals were built or improved to favour trade expansion. SIDE EFFECTS - Overcrowded cities: Since people started to migrate, the industrial towns experienced a sudden influx of people that they couldn’t handle. They lacked elementary public services such as water supply, sanitation, street cleaning, sewage systems (they were only created in the late 19th century), drinking water was often contaminated. Factories workers mainly lived in the so called “slums”, the suburbs of the tows. This gave spread to new diseases that often turned into epidemic: cholera, thypus, turberculosis. - Poor working conditions: Factory workers often worked 14 to 16 hours per day, six days per week. Child labor spread. The working conditions were miserable with various machines often dirty and unsafe, expelling unsafe smokes. All this contributed to accidents that resulted in serious injuries and deaths. Only during the late 19th century the rise of the labor unions made factory work less dangerous. In 1834 the poor Amendment Act established the workhouses, they were institutions where the poor received board and lodging in return for work. Life in the workhouses was hard and monotonous, it mainly followed the Puritan concept of hard work and duty. - A general sense of alienation: Long working hours, discipline, routine, monotony of the industrial towns brought a sense of frustration and alienation. A lot of writers wrote about or against it, a new sensibility arose in favour of a retourn to nature compared with the noisy activities of the towns.
