Industrial Revolution (18th century)

Watch the video and complete the text

The Industrial Revolution is a stage of history that goes from 1780 to 1850
and began in _________________________. For almost the entire history
of mankind, life had been based on agriculture and livestock. At the end of
the 18th century, the Englishman James Watt invented or rather perfected
the ______________ __________________. Until then, the artisans had
been dedicated to the manufacturing of utensils with their own hands in
small workshops but, with the arrival of the steam engine, that changed
forever. This machine used the energy of steam to transform it into
________________________ and the moving of the machines. These new
machines were applied to the industry and began to do the work that the
artisans used to do, so the small artisan workshops were
_________________________ giving way to big factories. The steam
engine was also used for transport and the first trains and steamboats were
manufactured which facilitated trade and travel between cities and countries.
Europe was filled with trains. During the Industrial Revolution, the rural society, dominated by the nobility,
stopped being as ________________________ as it was and the urban society, dominated by the bourgeois,
started to _________________________. The bourgeois were normal people that had become powerful and
rich of things to trade. Since they had a lot of money, they started investing in
__________________________ and were the firsts to build factories. The workers, also called proletarians,
were the people who did not have wealth. Not being able to make a living in the countryside nor in the
villages, they ________________________ to the big cities to work in the factories. At first, they worked in
very bad conditions and for very little money, meaning that many _______________________ had to work
on very hard and dangerous tasks so that the families could feed themselves. The work is asked for rights to
work in a dignified and safe way and the owners, the bourgeois, did not want to give to them. After many
conflicts, strikes and fights, the workers managed to make the workday last ______________________
hours and allowed them to rest on __________________________ or take vacation days and also children
were protected so they did not have to ______________________________ anymore. Today we continue to
use many of these rights and also many of the machines we use are developments of those first steam
engines. You already know that knowing the past allows to understand the present and improve the future.
Read the text and write one of these titles into each paragraph
a. What was the Industrial Revolution?
b. Britain’s natural resources
c. Benefits of the Industrial Revolution
d. The results
e. Why did the Industrial Revolution occur in Britain?
f. Drawbacks of the Industrial Revolution
1. _______________________________________________________________________
It was a technological revolution occurred in Britain that changed from a
manual labor to a mechanical production. Machines made production faster and
more goods were produced for lower costs. Farmers moved to the cities to take
advantage of higher paid work in new factories. Workers were poorly paid and
forced to live in cramped slums, while factory owners made large profits and lived
in luxury.The Industrial Revolution brought benefits and drawbacks for Britain and
the rest of the world. The Industrial Revolution was stimulated by a number of
inventions and developments by British scientists.
2. ______________________________________________________________________
The Industrial Revolution began in Britain for a number of different reasons. There are a large number of rivers across
Britain. These sources of water provided energy to power water mills, a precursor to steam power. Britain has many
 natural resources such as iron and coal. The British were able to use their own reserves of iron and coal without the
need to import them from other countries. The political situation in Britain also made it possible for the Industrial
Revolution to occur. The Industrial Revolution was encouraged by a number of scientists and businessmen. Due to
Britain's more liberal social and political structure, it became possible for people to rise from poverty to riches during
the Industrial Revolution.
3. ___________________________________________________________________________
When the Industrial Revolution occurred, machines were installed to eliminate the need
for time-consuming manual labour. Machines made production faster and cheaper. To
meet with demand, transportation was improved. Although Britain had a large number of
rivers, canals were built. Canals allowed barges to be transported independently of the
direction of the rivers. Railways made transport fast and cheap. The new and efficient
steam engine was installed into trains around Britain

4. __________________________________________________________________________

British industrialists built factories for the mass production of goods. Workers were needed to operate machines and
perform menial tasks. Working hours were long. Men, women and children, moved from the countryside to the cities
and were employed in factories. Factories and cities created levels of pollution never before seen. The sudden
affluence of workers placed a major strain on housing in these cities. Poorly-paid workers were forced to live in
overcrowded slums. Conditions in working slums were poor. There were few hygiene facilities. There were large social
gaps between poor factory workers, middle class professionals and wealthy upper class industrialists.

5. ___________________________________________________________________________________
Britain is an island rich in natural resources. Three key natural resources for the
Industrial Revolution were iron, coal and waterways. Iron was the main material
used in industrial machinery. Coal was used to power steam engines.
Improvements in steam-engine technology resulted in a more effective usage of
coal. Britain was home to large deposits of iron and coal. These two minerals were
the key to the Industrial Revolution. There are a number of rivers in Britain, so
water was used as a source of power and as a mode of transportation. Water
provided energy to power mills (such as watermills), precursors to steam engines
and machines.

6. ___________________________________________________________________________

In the 18th century, Britain was a land of opportunity. A number of processes

worked in favour of the Industrial Revolution. Britain had access to a large
number of natural resources, access that increased with the acquisition of
overseas colonies. Political stability and freedom of thought allowed a number
of inventors to develop new technology. Wealthy businessmen invested in
these technologies. New technologies started a chain reaction in Britain that
became known as the Industrial Revolution. Demands for products led to the
development of efficient transportation systems. This included the building of a
number of canals, roads and finally, railways. By the early 19th century, Britain
was producing over three-quarters of the mined coal, half the cotton and iron
goods and the majority of steam engines in continental Europe.

Are these sentences TRUE OR FALSE? Then, complete the following questions.
1. Before the Industrial Revolution more than 90 percent of people lived on farms or in small villages
2. The Industrial Revolution began in the United States in the mid-1700s.
3. Coal was the fuel for the Industrial Revolution.
4. The steam engine was used to facilitate trade and travel.
5. The working conditions were simple and healthy.
6. Workers during the Industrial Revolution received high wages.
7. The problem of child labor ended a long time ago.
a. The Industrial Revolution goes from the years ___________________ to ________________________.
b. Who invented the steam engine and what were the consequences of that invention?
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