THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION 1750-1850

Roma Patel APWoH, 7th Period, Mr. Grate 2/15/12

The Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution began between the years of 1750-1850 in Great Britain. This time period marked drastic changes in agriculture, technology, economics, and social structure. Changes during this time period, however, occurred gradually. Rapid increase in population caused diseases to spread, but this has been constant throughout history in Europe. Technological advances cause Great Britains economy to rise, and make Britain the leader in industry. Trade continued throughout the Industrial Revolution. Industrialization caused many changes in family life and social classes, but the roles of women remained; they continued to gain more rights. As men lost their jobs, women worked to support their families. There were a number of changes in human interactions, leaving few things to remain the same. There was a major increase in population in Europe. During the industrial Revolution, millions of people migrated. Farm land became far scarcer as people began to move from the country side to more urban areas. Some moved in order to find opportunities. Because people were needed to operate machinery in the factories and mills, many farmers migrated to the city. The factories had better wages and more opportunities than in the farming industry. Others were relocated as a punishment. With the founding of Australia, transportation of criminals was reintroduced. These people migrated without a choice. London, one of the largest cities in Europe in 1700 with 500,000 inhabitants, grew to 959,000 by 1800, and to 2,363,000 by 1850; it was then the largest city the world had ever known (Bulliet, 611). Because of immigration, the

3 population in the United States nearly tripled, going from 4 million in 1791 to 9.6 million in 1820 and to 27 million in 1850. The rapid increase of population was brought about by the adoption of a factory system. This urbanization continued because the industry provided workers with higher wages. Because agriculture had become more efficient, there was an increase in the supply of food. This allowed peasants to marry at a young age and have more children, meaning almost a 40% increase in birth rate. The increase of children and teens was what fueled child labor. Although the working conditions for children were dangerous, most children worked in order to support their families. It was also perceived that because children had nothing to do, they would turn to committing crimes. However, population growth had a negative effect as well. Due to the overpopulation in industrialized areas, many people died. The reason for this is because most people could not get a source of clean water, and many areas remained highly unhygienic due to the crowding of people. People were forced to drink from wells, which were contaminated by the runoff of sewage. Waste was being dumped into the streets from houses and factories, which eventually led to the water supply. Families and working men were forced to live on the streets in small and crowded slums with horrible living conditions. Disease constantly threatened areas during the Industrial Revolution. There were a large number of epidemics, including the return of outbreaks of cholera and typhus in the 1800s. Cholera is a water-borne disease, which during the Industrial Revolution, spread through the contaminated cities easily, killing thousands at a time. The spread of diseases, however, has remained a constant factor throughout the history of Europe. Along with the industrialization, new inventions were created. Starting in the 1760s, inventions were generally created for the cotton industry. In 1770, James Hargreaves invented the Spinning Jenny, which spun 8 threads of wool at once initially. The machines were further developed, resulting in over 120 threads being spun at once. Starting in the 1800s, new inventions were not just limited to the cotton industry. Steam power became the

4 greatest technological innovation in the Industrial Revolution. With the invention of the steam engine by James Watts, its application to industry and transportation caused a great leap for industrialization (Inventions). These are all changes which promoted the Industrial Revolution. The economy in Great Britain was greatly affected by the Industrial Revolution. Agriculture had been around in Europe since the 17th century. Agriculture advanced greatly during the Industrial Revolution. The first major change in agriculture was the transformation of infertile land to private property. The reason for this is because it allowed for farming techniques to improve, breeding livestock, and introduce crop rotation. Many of the raw materials needed for the textile industry came from agriculture. The production of cotton, with the help of the cotton gin, increased every year. A new technique, which was to let land lie uncultivated after yielding crops, was discovered. Because of the increased efficiency, the amount of food was greater, which allowed livestock to survive during the winter. These changes in agriculture allowed enough food to be produced to support the growing population of the people that were attracted to the industrial centers as factory workers. By providing enough food to sustain an adequate work force, England was preparing the way for expansion of the economy and industry (Montagna, Joseph A). A major change because of the industrialization was the machines added to factories. Machines were added because the government could make more money due to their high efficiency, and less money being paid to workers. However, because machines were being used more and more, skilled and specialized workers lost their jobs as machines took their places. The machines were able to create products on a mass scale faster and cheaper than workers could. Workers could easily be replaced by someone with no experience willing to be paid less. Machines were cranking out more products in a day than the workers could make in a week. However, as factories began to spread across the country, products were

5 being sold at a lower price which even the middle class could afford. This increased the living conditions of the common people. Expanding trade became possible as factories allowed for mass production of products. Though the trade routes remained the same, the variety of products being traded grew, such as tea and sugar. Over 1,000 miles of railroads were built, which was beneficial for trade and the economy overall. With trade expanding, more money was necessary. Gold and silver was acquired from the New World. By 1750 large quantities of goods were being exchanged among the European nations, and there was a demand for more goods than were being produced. England was the leading commercial nation, and the manufacture of cloth was its leading industry (Industrialization: The First Phase). Products were now available to other countries. England became the leader in its industry. There were many changes in the social structure of Great Britain during the Industrial Revolution, while only few things remained so. The only difference between social classes was the amount of money they made. This led them to live different lives. The concept of classes was continuing throughout the Industrial Revolution because although people made more money, the rich remained rich, and the poor stayed poor. New laws required farmers to fence their farming land at their own expense, which left many bankrupt and unemployed. This required them to move to towns and cities so that they could be close to their new jobs. The status of women remained just as it did before the Industrial Revolution. The main priority of a woman was to take care of the family. Because men were fired from their jobs due to the new farming laws and the machinery, women were expected to work dead-end jobs with low wages in order to support their family. Women and children made up 75% of the workers. Factory owners easily gave jobs to women and children because they could be paid little amounts of money. Children, who worked in atrocious conditions, could be kept under better control than adults. Because children were smaller, they could be used to reach certain parts of the machinery. Family values became

6 weak as they could not spend enough time together at home, besides sleeping. Also, housing had to be shared with other families, which further weakened the bond. However, the social changes that took place were not all negative. Most classes eventually benefited in some way from the huge profits that were being made, and by 1820 most workers were making somewhat better wages (Fundamental Shifts in Social Structure). At one point, child labor was ended by the government due to unacceptable practices. A new social class had also begun to develop as the mass production brought high income to employees and owners. It was no longer just the workingmen and peasants. New jobs had formed along with different wages. These factors contributed to the formation of the middle class.

Children worked nearly 15 hours a day in horrid working condtions. They were given few breaks to go to the bathroom or eat. (Industrial Revolution in England)

The Spinning Jenny, which was used to create wool. It was far more efficient, as it took less time to create. (Spinning Jenny)

8 Annotated Bibliography Bulliet, Richard W., et al. The Earth and Its Peoples: A Global History. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001. Print. This book had a wide variety of facts to write about. It had very detailed descriptions. Fundamental Shifts in Social Structure. Industrial Revolution. 17 Feb. 2003. Web. 10 Feb. 2012. < http://industrialrevolution.sea.ca/index.html>. This search showed all about the social classes and their changes. Industrial Revolution in England. Google Image Search. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. This source provided me a picture of how working conditions were in factories. Industrialization: The First Phase. International World History Project. 1 Jan. 2007. Web. 13 Feb. 2012. <history-world.org> This article had great facts on the diseases during the Industrial Revolution. Inventions. Industrial Revolution. 3 Nov. 2011. Web. 11 Feb. 2012. <http://www.schoolshistory.org.uk>. This search provided a basic list of inventions with their purpose and inventor. Montagna, Joseph A. The Industrial Revolution. Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute. 1 Jan. 2012. Web. 9 Feb. 2012. <http://yale.edu>. This article provided an overall view on how the Industrial Revolution worked. Spinning Jenny. Google Image Search. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. This search provided me with an image of an invention used during the Industrial Revolution.