The Industrial Revolution: Causes and Impact of Change

Long-Term Causes of the Industrial Revolution

• lots of money (capital)

• Agricultural Revolution occurring

• Enclosure Acts (commercial farming): few wealthy landlords owned land, divided it with fences, and leased it out to small class of farmers to use

• stable food supply

• new land/husbandry/farm practices

Short-Term Causes of the Industrial Revolution

• rapid technological innovation

• factory system

• consumer markets in colonies

• helpful laws

Great Britain's Advantages for Industrial Revolution

• colonial imports (from North America, South America, India, China) → Napoleon's Continental System aided in this

• an established trade system

• a huge navy

• 100 years of peace, lots of stability

• no serfdom

• growing market

• growing population → stable food supply with Agricultural Revolution

• centralized banking

• inventors

• water powered mills

• lots of coal and iron

Agricultural Revolution

• investments in new inventions in agriculture: fertilizer (enrich soil), selective livestock breeding (only allowing best to reproduce), crop rotation (keep soil enriched), seed drill (quicker planting)

• mechanized farmwork made people go to cities

• land was privately owned + rented out (Enclosure Acts) = commercialized farming, capitalism

Industrial Revolution's Impact on Cities and City Life

• Cities grew way too fast + were disorganized: no police, no sewage (cholera because garbage was everywhere, polluted water), not enough lawmakers, no taxes, no centralized roads

• lots of smoke dirty air so people got Black Lung

• coal dust rained down so people used umbrellas → how bad pollution was

• Manchester grew in size from 25,000 to 455,000

• housing for workers: single rooms which were quickly built and closely packed

• in 70 years it went from 4 cities with 50,000 to 31 cities

• UK urban population was 20% in 1700, 55% in 1900

• soot everywhere in the cities

• black lung happened because people breathed in polluted air, though mostly occur occurred in mines

Industrial Revolution Impact on Work and Working Conditions

• 14 hour workdays

• 6 year-olds worked in factories because their tiny hands could reach in the power looms

• factories were really cramped with no windows and no fresh air

• The "iron law of wages" by Malthus + others: keep wages barely enough to survive because if people had a bit more money they would have kids and then the kids would take a resources

• if you were hurt at work, you were fired

• transition from skilled labor to unskilled labor

• Factory Acts: limited the hours kids could spend in factories

• Mines Acts: restricted kids and women from working in mines (women were mad because they had no money to support their family), Parliament did this because they needed women for babies

• 10 hour workday reform

Industrial Revolution's Impact on Social Class and Families

• Poor people move to cities for work in factories

• kids (6+) preferred to work in factories

• women and kids worked for less money

• Family was less together because dad worked somewhere, mom worked elsewhere and the kids were on their own, BUT lived in same one room

• woman were displaced from the cottage system to factory work

• 14 hours or more work days left zero free time

• woman and kids were abused by bosses

Who were Luddites?

They were skilled laborers who were angry that machines took their jobs, so they went around destroying machinery.

What was the general view on workers unions during the Industrial Revolution?

Groups of people advocated for them, but the government did not like them.

In 1733, what did John Kay invent and what did it do?

He invented the flying shuttle that enabled a single weaver to work twice as fast.

In the mid-1760's, what did James Hargreaves invent and what did it do?

He invented the Spinning Jenny that increased production of yarn, it was needed because the flying shuttle used up yarn quickly.

In 1769, what did Arkwright invent and what did it do?

He invented a water frame that used waterpower from fast-moving streams to drive spinning machines.

In 1779, what did Crompton do?

He perfected and combined some textile machines into the "spinning mule."

In 1785, what did Edmond Cartwright invent and what did it do?

He invented the power loom and it used waterpower to dramatically speed up weaving.

In 1793, what did Eli Whitney invent and what did it do?

He invented the cotton gin and sped up the removal of seeds from cotton, increasing the output of cotton. It spread through American South, reigniting the plantation economy and increasing the use of slaves.