The Agrarian and Industrial Revolutions

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers key terms, inventions, and social changes associated with the Agrarian and Industrial Revolutions based on the provided lecture notes.

Agrarian Revolution

A major change in farming during the $18^{th}$ century involving enclosure, crop rotation, selective breeding, and new machinery that increased food production.

Enclosure

The process of combining scattered strips of land into one fenced farm owned by a single landowner, which forced many peasants to move to towns.

Townshend’s 4-field system

A method of crop rotation used during the Agrarian Revolution to keep soil fertile without leaving land fallow.

Selective breeding

A process improved by Bakewell to enhance livestock quality during the Agrarian Revolution.

Jethro Tull

The inventor of the seed drill, a key piece of machinery in the Agrarian Revolution.

Industrial Revolution

A period between $1750$ and $1914$ where production shifted from hand tools to machines powered by steam, coal, and iron, beginning in Britain.

Domestic System

A production method where work was done at home on a small scale, usually family-based.

Factory System

A production method where work is done in one building using machines powered by water or steam for mass production.

Flying Shuttle

A textile invention designed for faster weaving.

Spinning Jenny

A textile invention that allowed a worker to spin multiple threads at once.

Water Frame

A water-powered spinning machine that contributed to the rise of factory-based production.

Spinning Mule

An invention that combined spinning technologies to improve textile production.

Power Loom

A mechanised version of a loom used for weaving in factories.

Steam power

Energy created by heating water to produce pressure that drives machinery, locomotives, and steamships.

James Watt

An inventor who improved the steam engine, making it efficient enough to be used everywhere in industry and transport.

Limestone

A natural resource used as a flux in the iron smelting process.

Workshop of the World

A nickname for Britain, referring to its 19th-century global dominance in manufacturing and technology.

Urbanisation

The movement of people from rural areas to towns and cities, often resulting in overcrowding and sanitation issues.

Aristocracy

The social class consisting of wealthy landowners who held traditional power.

Middle Class

A social group created by the Industrial Revolution, including factory owners, merchants, and professionals.

Working Class

The social group consisting of factory workers, miners, and labourers who worked for wages.

Swing Riots

Protests where workers destroyed threshing machines because they replaced human labour and caused unemployment.

Factory Acts

Laws passed by the government to improve working conditions in response to evidence of abuse and public pressure.

Luddites

Workers who opposed machinery because it threatened their jobs and livelihoods.

Second Industrial Revolution

A phase in the late $1800s$ involving new developments in electricity, steel, chemicals, and oil.

Mechanisation

The process of replacing human or animal labour with machine production.

Capital

Money available for investment in businesses, factories, and technology.