F2 History: Industrial Revolution (The Age of Machines)

Practice vocabulary flashcards on the causes, economic impacts, social consequences, and labour movements of the Industrial Revolution.

Agricultural Revolution

An agricultural change that increased food supply, causing population growth in Britain.

Enclosure Movement

The process of turning farmland into pasture for sheep farming, which caused small farmers to lose their land and move to towns or cities to look for factory jobs.

Patent Policy

A policy in Britain that protected inventions for 14 years, creating a good environment for scientific research.

Royal Society

A British scientific organization that provided support for scientific research.

Factory System

A system of production that became the main driving force of the economy, replacing agriculture as the primary indicator of economic strength.

Division of Labour

A production method where each worker focuses on only one specific part of production, resulting in higher productivity, increased production volume, lower production costs, and higher national wealth.

The Great Exhibition (1851, London)

An international event held in London in 1851 to display new industrial products and technology to the world.

Capitalism

An economic system based on free trade, private property, and markets operating without government intervention.

Urbanisation

The movement of large numbers of people from rural villages to industrial towns, causing urban populations to rise rapidly.

Working Class (Proletariat)

A social class that lived in crowded, unhygienic slums lacking clean water and light, and worked under harsh rules and dangerous conditions without protection from labour laws.

Child Labour

The practice of employing children to clean narrow machine parts or crawl through small coal tunnels, depriving them of education and causing abuse and long-term health problems.

Chartist Movement (1838-1848)

A labour movement that demanded political rights such as universal suffrage; although it failed, male workers were later granted the right to vote in 1867.

Labour Representation Committee (LRC)

An organization formed during the emergence of trade unions and labour movements to represent workers.

Socialism

The belief that production resources like factories and land should be owned by the public to redistribute wealth fairly.

Karl Marx (Communism)

A political thinker and ideology that encouraged the proletariat (workers) to overthrow the capitalist class through revolution.