Unit 14 WH

Industrial Revolution: Land, Labor, and Capital

Industrial Revolution: Land, Labor, and Capital

Britain's Advantages

• Natural resources: iron, coal, water

• Large labor force

• Wealthy investors (capital)

First Industrial Revolution (late 18th - early 19th century)

• Revolutionized textile industry

• Key inventions: cotton gin, spindle, water-powered loom

• Reduced need for manual labor in agriculture, increased factory employment

• Development of water and steam power

• Early use of hydroelectric power

Second Industrial Revolution (mid 19th - early 20th century)

• Advances in manufacturing and production

• Significant impact on transportation and communication

• Enhanced global economy, particularly in Western Europe

Lasting Effects of the Industrial Revolution: Social and Political

• Social Impacts

  • Improved standard of living: increased employment, salaries, sanitation, sewage, and education systems

  • Urbanization: shift from rural farms to urban cities

  • Labor reforms: more leisure time, increased disposable income

  • Rise of the Middle Class

• Political Impacts

  • Rise of the middle class: increased political influence and representation

  • Labor reforms (middle class involvement) and abolition of slavery

  • Growth of women's rights movements

Lasting Effects of the Industrial Revolution: Economic and Science

• Economic Impacts

  • Cheaper goods, more consumers

  • Development of the middle class

  • Rise of capitalism, socialism, and communism

• Sciences

  • Technological advancements and new inventions

  • Significant medical developments: new medicines, vaccines, Germ Theory

Imperialism

• European countries sought more natural resources and labor

• Control over foreign economies for increased product demand

• Western European countries took over parts of India, Africa, East Asia, and Southeast Asia

Textile Industry Revolution

• Traditional method: cottage industry (slow, hand-made process)

• Key inventions:

  • John Kay: flying shuttle (faster cloth weaving)

  • James Hargreaves: spinning jenny (faster thread spinning)

  • Richard Arkwright: water frame (water-powered spinning machine)

  • Eli Whitney: cotton gin (quick seed removal from cotton)

• Impact:

  • Rise of factories ("putting out system" replaced)

  • Centralized workers and machines under one roof

  • Increased production and surplus goods

Transportation Innovations

• Need to move surplus goods faster

• Entrepreneurs and capitalists invested in:

  • Turnpikes (toll roads)

  • Canals (toll waterways)

• George Stephenson: steam engine locomotive

  • By 1830, railways became the fastest transportation method

  • Goods moved efficiently from factory to market

• James Watt

  • Invented the Steam Engine

  • Converted to steamboats, locomotives, and utilized in factories.

• Impact:

  • Cheaper goods, increased consumerism

  • Creation of new jobs: factory workers, railway workers, miners, construction workers

  • Wealth generation for capitalists and entrepreneurs

• Britain's limited resources led to colonization for more resources

• Germany and the United States followed Britain's industrial model

Evolution of Military Tech (18th - 20th centuries)

• Early use of black powder (China, Han Dynasty)

• 1600s: Italian blacksmiths create hand-made pistols

• 1700s: Bayonets replace pike men

• Eli Whitney: interchangeable parts for muskets (1798)

  • Increased efficiency and reparability

• Bullet advancements: cylidro-conoidal bullet, percussion cap

European Use of Gunpowder and Rockets

• British first to use rockets in battle (Boulogne attack, 1806)

• Gunpowder used in cannons since the 16th century

• American Revolution: Patriot soldiers mass-produce weapons in armament plants and gunpowder mills

• Crimean War (1853): Russians develop gunpowder mills

• Prussia: first country to use trains for troop mobilization

Impact of New Military Technologies

• More accurate weapons and efficient tactics

• Factories enable stockpiling of weapons

• Improved troop mobility through advanced transportation

Population Changes in Europe

• Increased Agricultural Production

  • Advancement in agricultural technology

  • Introduction of nutritional foods (e.g., potatoes)

  • Improved longevity, especially surpassing childhood

• Medical Advancements

  • Louis Pasteur's contributions:

    • Discovery and development of vaccines for smallpox, cholera, rabies, anthrax, tuberculosis

    • Process of pasteurization to minimize pathogens in food (e.g., milk)

Urbanization and Industrialization

• Urbanization

  • Rural people drawn to cities for factory work

  • Rapid city growth, labor force influx

• Living Conditions

  • Overcrowded tenements: one-room apartments, no running water, kitchen, or toilets

  • High crime rates and diseases in tenement areas

• Factory Life

  • Factory training for uneducated labor force

  • Poor working conditions: long hours, low wages, unsafe environments

  • No job security or compensation for injuries

  • Emergence of labor unions in the 1800s for workers' rights

  • Factories opposed labor unions

Impact on Family Life and Education

Child Labor

• Children worked to supplement family income

• Employment for children as young as seven years old, often for tasks requiring small hands

• Mandatory education not established until the 20th century

Women's Roles and Rights

• Shift in Women's Roles

  • Women transitioned from home/farm work to factory jobs

  • Employment in textile factories, workshops, coal mines

  • Women earned wages, improved standard of living

  • Single women gained independence, married women supplemented household income

• Women's Rights Movement

  • Influence of Enlightenment ideas (e.g., Mary Wollstonecraft's "The Vindication for the Rights of Women," 1792)

  • First women's rights convention: Seneca Falls, USA, 1848

  • By the end of the 20th century, women gained:

    • Right to vote

    • Right to own property

    • Right to earn wages

Problems Brought About by the Industrial Revolution

• Increased awareness of disparity between rich and poor.

• Majority of workers were poor, unable to afford healthcare, food, and housing.

• Poor living conditions led to miserable and unhappy lives.

• Philosophers questioned government roles and sought solutions for economic problems.

• Ideals of equality arose, envisioning a society without class disparity.

Capitalism

• Mercantilism: Prior economic system where wealth was controlled by the country.

• Adam Smith: Father of modern economics, published The Wealth of Nations in 1776.

  • Free Enterprise System: Industry owned by individuals, not the government.

  • Supply and Demand: Prices determined by competition and availability.

  • Invisible Hand: Consumer-driven market regulating quality and prices.

  • Free Market: Free from government interference, tariffs, and special interest groups.

  • Laissez Faire: Economy operates without regulations or subsidies.

Communism

Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels: Published The Communist Manifesto in 1848.

• Class Struggles: History viewed as a series of conflicts between classes.

• Scientific Socialism/Communism: Classless society where proletariat (working class) owns the means of production.

• Proletariat vs. Bourgeois: Workers vs. wealthy factory owners.

• Revolution: Proletariat would rise against capitalist oppressors.

• Worldwide Revolution: Call for global uprising against capitalism.

• Classless Society: Abolishment of bourgeois private property, equality for all.

• Communism vs. Socialism: Both focus on public control of production, but communism bases distribution on individual need.

Communism vs Socialism

• Communism vs. Socialism: Both focus on public control of production, but communism bases distribution on individual need.

• Communism: Property is owned by the government and appropriated by need

• Socialism: production and distribution is controlled by the community

Impact of Communism

• Communist Parties: Emerged across Western Europe.

• Authoritarian Rule: Leaders retained power, did not follow Marx's vision.

• Russian Revolution: First major communist revolution in 1917.

• Cold War: Capitalism vs. Communism in the 20th century.

Big Business, Corporations, Trusts, & Cartels

• Adam Smith's Warning: Danger of big business disrupting free enterprise.

• Corporation: Large business with rights of an individual.

• Conglomerate: Collection of corporations influencing economic practices.

• Cartel: Group of businesses fixing prices to increase profit.

  • Example: OPEC, largest cartel in the world.

• Big Business: Power of large corporations dominating sectors of the economy.

• Corporate Trusts & Monopolies: Control over supply and distribution, rise in 19th century. Laws exist today to prevent monopolies.

Luddites

• Founded by Ned Ludd: In 19th century England, weavers and textile workers formed the Luddites.

• Machine Destruction: Damaged and destroyed factory machines like spinning frames and power looms.

• Rebellion Period: From 1811–1816, Luddites rose against factories and mills, fighting British soldiers.

• Government Response: In 1813, over 60 men were charged, leading to executions and imprisonment, ending the rebellion.

• Significance: Demonstrated working-class discontent due to the rise of machines replacing manual labor.

Labor Unions & Reform

• Worker Demands: Protests for higher wages, safer working conditions, and improved quality of life.

• Factory Owners: Generally opposed reforms due to cost concerns.

• Government Action: Politicians began passing laws after exposure of factory conditions and slums.

• Queen Victoria's Support: Favored reforms to improve living conditions, education, and aid the poor.

• Labor Unions: Organizations like the National Labor Union and the Knights of Labor fought for worker rights, threatening strikes to achieve goals.

• Key Legislation:

  • Factory Act of 1833: Limited child labor, set age requirements, and regulated working hours.

  • Eight-Hour Workday: Achieved in the 1900s through persistent union efforts.

Free Time & Entertainment:

• Improved labor regulations and shorter workdays allowed more leisure time.

• Middle class could afford entertainment like theater, opera, circuses, and art exhibitions.

• Advent of gas lighting in cities in the 1880s extended public entertainment into evenings.