The Industrial

Revolution
 What is an industrial
revolution?
—  Industrial Revolution:
—  A period from the 1700’s
to the early 1800’s that
brought about great
economic, political, and
cultural change by shifting
from an economy based on
manual labor to one
dominated by industry,
machines, and new types
of power/energy.
Where did it start?
—  Began in England around
1780.

—  Within 50 years would

spread to rest of Europe.

—  When industrialization
occurs, a nation
transforms from a stable
agricultural world to an
industrial society of
constant growth and
change.
 Life Before the Ind.
Revolution
—  80% of people make living
farming.

—  Most people have never

traveled beyond their small
village.

—  Poor farming system.

—  Only make enough food to
feed themselves.
—  3 field system.
—  Farming methods haven’t
changed in a century or
more.
 Discussion Question
—  The year is 1750. You’ve lived your entire life on a
small farm, have little to no education, you’ve never
traveled farther than the nearest village, and your
existence depends on the weather and the crops
planted outside. Your entire life has been spent
farming, you know nothing else. Now all of a
sudden you are being forced off your land by the
landlord. What would you do? Where would you go?
How would you survive?
Agricultural Revolution
—  When? From 1700-1800
—  Enclosure movement:
—  Wealthy landowners fenced
off and consolidated their
land. This forced peasants
off their land and into the
cities to find work.

—  4 field system:
—  New crop rotation system.
Makes farming more
efficient.

—  New farming technologies:

—  Jethro Tull seed drill
—  Row planting
 Impact of Agricultural
Revolution
—  Changed social structure:
—  Small farmers and
peasants pushed off
land and forced into the
cities.
—  Cities start to grow!

—  Better production = more

crops = more money!
—  Food becomes cheaper.
—  Population of Europe
DOUBLES from 1700-1800
 Why England First?
1.  England producing more food at a lower cost than ever
before.
1.  More people can be fed at lower prices with less labor.
2.  More food = increase in population
1.  Increase in population = larger workforce
3.  Enclosure movement = larger workforce
4.  England has plentiful natural resources
5.  England has relatively “free” society. Few restrictions on
business or trade.
6.  Has a ready market for goods. British ships take goods all
over the world.
 Discussion Question
—  How did the agricultural revolution help lead to the
industrial revolution?

—  Give me 2 reasons why England was the first to

industrialize.
 New Inventions
—  Industrial Revolution saw
the rise of lots of new
inventions, created to make
things faster and better:
—  Cotton/cloth
—  Coal and iron
—  Railroads
—  Factories and assembly
lines
Cotton Pre-Revolution
—  2 part process:
—  Thread spun from raw
cotton
—  Thread woven into fabric
on looms

—  Cottage Industry:
—  Domestic system in goods
are produced at home and
then sold to merchants.
—  Good profit for merchants
and good for families, but
production is to slow and
small scale.
 The Revolution of Cotton
—  1790-Eli Whitney’s cotton gin
greatly increases supply of cotton.

—  1760-1790’s:
—  Flying shuttle makes weaving faster
—  Spinning Jenny makes thread faster
—  Water loom makes cloth faster
—  Power looms, spinning mules,

—  Large factories made to house new

machines powered by steam
engines.

—  Results in drastic increase of

cotton goods.

—  Becomes England's most valuable

trade good and is sold all over the
world.
 Coal, Iron, & Railroads
—  England has 3 abundant
natural resources:
—  Water
—  Coal
—  Iron
—  Coal industry booms!
—  railroads begin to transport
all the new goods being
made.
Factories & Assembly Lines
—  Factories = new labor
system:
—  Workers work in shifts
—  No breaks
—  Cities boom
—  New jobs for men, women,
and children

—  Assembly line:
—  Create goods faster, more
efficiently.
—  Prices of goods go down
—  More people working,
making money, which they
then use to buy the goods
they make.