Industrial Revolution

Enclosure Movement

The process by which English Parliament got rid of common lands, driving peasants off their land.

Immediate effects of the Enclosure Acts

Peasants were driven off the lands.

Long term effects of the Enclosure Acts

Small farmers could not compete with larger farmers; rural proletariats developed; increased profits; increased food and population.

Significance of the Agricultural Revolution

Surplus in food allowed for the growth of industries, starting the industrial revolution in cottage industries like textiles.

Origins of the Industrial Revolution in Britain

Began due to the supply of capital, enterprising entrepreneurs, natural resources, and a pro-business government.

Cottage industry

Textile industries operated in homes, typically involving a putting out system.

Saint Monday

A term for Monday in the 1760s when cottage workers were often too hungover to work.

Steam Engine

A significant invention that allowed machines to operate independently of rivers, increasing employment and worldwide trade.

Significance of railroads

Created larger markets, improved the economy, changed perceptions of time and space, and spread industrialization.

Great Exhibition of 1851

An event held in the Crystal Palace showcasing machinery and manufactured goods from the industrial revolution.

New Industrial Entrepreneurs

Individuals who constructed factories and founded markets, assuming high risks, competing with each other.

Composition of the Working Classes

Workers in factories included men, women, and children, often facing terrible working conditions.

Luddites

A social group of skilled craftspeople who destroyed machinery as a protest against the industrial changes.

Chartist Movement

A peaceful movement demanding political democracy and universal male suffrage.

Factory Act of 1833

A law limiting child labor by prohibiting children under nine from working in factories and requiring education.

Coal Mines Act of 1842

Prohibited women and children from working in coal mines.

Ten Hours Act of 1847

Limited working hours for women and children to a maximum of ten hours a day.