THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
ORIGINS, CAUSES & “WHY GREAT BRITAIN?”
The INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
“…took place during the 18th and 19th centuries, was a period during
which mostly AGRICULTURAL and RURAL societies in Europe and
America became INDUSTRIAL & URBAN.”
‘BIG PICTURE’ Before the Indus. Rev., which began in GB (late 1700s),
MANUFACTURING was often done in people’s homes (COTTAGE INDUSTRY),
using hand tools & basic machines. INDUSTRIALIZATION marked a shift to
powered, special-purpose machinery, factories and mass production!
‘BIG PICTURE’ The IRON & TEXTILE industries, along with the
development of the STEAM ENGINE, played central roles in the Indus. Rev.,
which also saw improved systems of TRANSPORTATION, COMMUNICATION
and BANKING.
‘BIG PICTURE’ While industrialization brought about an increased volume
and variety of MANUFACTURED GOODS & an IMPROVED STANDARD OF
LIVING for some, it also resulted in often grim employment & living
conditions for the poor and working classes.
“What are the ORIGINS & CAUSES of the
Industrial Revolution in Great Britain?”
1.) An AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION that changed farming in Europe!
2.) POPULATION GROWTH in Great Britain during the 18th century!
3.) The BRITISH EMPIRE had a wide SUPPLY of MARKETS…
4.) Wealthy British had the ability to make CAPITAL INVESTMENTS!
5.) GEOGRAPHY, NATURAL RESOURCES and a STRONG NAVY…
6.) A STRONG, SUPPORTIVE and STABLE GOVERNMENT allowed for
growth!
AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION
EUROPE UNDERWENT AN AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION (1690S)…
WHICH WOULD HELP LEAD TO THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION!
1.) The ENCLOSURE MOVEMENT spread to England in the 17th
century (process of privatizing ‘common land’) – WEALTHY FARMERS
BOUGHT LAND FROM SMALL FARMERS!
THINK – “WHAT EFFECTS
did the ENCLOSURE
MOVEMENT have?”
MOVEMENT LED TO:
1.) Larger farms
2.) More efficient farms
3.) URBANIZATION
AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION
2.) Charles ‘Turnip’ Townsend, wealthy landlord from Norfolk –
encouraged CROP ROTATION
* GROW MORE CROPS and get a BETTER
YIELD FROM THE LAND (if a crop was not
rotated, the nutrient level in the field would go down –
yield of the crop from the field decreased)
“WHAT DID THIS NEW TECHNIQUE LEAD TO?”
1.) Increased food for animals & people
2.) …more manure = better crops
* BENEFICIAL AGRICULTURAL CYCLE
AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION
3.) Jethro Tull perfected the SEED DRILL (1701) that
ECONOMICALLY sowed the seeds in neat rows… (more seed taking
root = more crops…)
* Before the seed drill, common practice was to plant seeds by hand…
besides being WASTEFUL, planting was IMPRECISE and led to a POOR
DISTRIBUTION OF SEEDS, leading to LOW PRODUCTIVITY!
4.) Robert Bakewell, 18th century
English Agriculturalist, well known
for SELECTIVE BREEDING of sheep
and cattle (larger cattle, better cattle =
more food!)
POPULATION GROWTH
The AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION:
…MORE FOOD!
1.) = MORE people being fed! 2.) = MORE people surviving!
3.) = MORE STABILITY throughout society! 4.) URBANIZATION!
MORE FOOD =
MORE PEOPLE =
MORE DEMAND =
MORE
PRODUCTION!
These factors led to a POPULATION BOOM in GREAT
BRITAIN during the 18th century!
BRITISH EMPIRE AND THE SUPPLY
OF MARKETS
1.) …world’s leading colonial power; meant that its colonies
could serve as:
 SOURCE FOR RAW MATERIALS
 MARKETPLACE FOR MANUFACTURED GOODS
“A MARKET is any place where
the SELLERS of a good or service
can meet with the BUYERS of
that good or service where there
is potential for a transaction to
take place.”
CAPITAL INVESTMENTS
1.) British COLONIAL EXPANSION during the 17th century led to:
 Development of INTERNATIONAL TRADE
 Creation of NEW FINANCIAL MARKETS
 The ACCUMULATION OF CAPITAL
2.) NEW WEALTH allowed for ENTREPRENEURS to make large
investments of capital into the TEXTILE, COAL MINING and
METAL INDUSTRIES
EXAMPLE “The textile industry, for instance, relied on raw material from America;
finished goods were sold internally but also abroad, especially in India, where British
colonial rule was able virtually to destroy the once flourishing Indian textile industry
by forbidding the export of Indian textiles.”
WHAT IS CAPITAL?
MATERIAL WEALTH… in the form of money or property.
GEOGRAPHY, NATURAL
RESOURCES & A STRONG NAVY
1.) RIVERS and CANALS for TRANSPORTATION and WATER POWER
2.) ISLAND… PORTS ENABLED TRADE
3.) COAL provided for FUEL
4.) IRON ORE strengthened MANUFACTURING
5.) POPULATION provided for WORKERS
6.) STRONG NAVY to protect & expand ECONOMY
NATURAL RESOURCES: “naturally occurring exploitable
material” (coal, wood, water, minerals, etc.)
STRONG, SUPPORTIVE AND
STABLE GOVERNMENT
Great Britain used their POLITICAL STABILITY to their advantage:
 STRONG & LARGE EMPIRE
 STABLE GOVERNMENT at home
 Gov’t that supported INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
 Gov’t that supported LAISSEZ-FAIRE ECONOMICS
1.) Out of ALL THE WARS that had been fought during the 17th and
18th centuries – how many were fought in ENGLAND?
2.) Great Britain had ABOLISHED FEUDALISM (1660) – no feudal
class to hold back the working class!
…led to a very large and free peasantry/working class in England!