Industrial Rev

Agricultural society

• A society primarily based on farming, where 80% of the population lived in rural areas.

Agricultural Revolution

• Period of major changes in farming the increased food production and efficiency.

• Focused on fields, crops, and livestock.

• The goal was to maximize food production using fewer human workers through tools like the seed drill and better crop rotation.

Consequences of Agricultural Rev

• more food→ population growth

• fewer farm workers need → rural workers moved to cities

• created large supply of factory workers → directly enabled the IR

Enclosure movement

• A key change in the agricultural revolution where common land was fenced into private farms, benefiting landowners.

• Used as it made the land easier to manage.

Cottage industry

• A system where goods were made at home or in small workshops by skilled artisans, characterized by slow and manual production.

Life expectancy in pre-IR Britain

Low due to poor hygiene, limited medical knowledge, and polluted water supplies.

Consequences of the Agricultural Revolution

Increased food production led to population growth and fewer needed farm workers, driving rural workers to cities and creating a supply of factory workers.

Urbanisation

The movement of people from rural areas to cities, leading to rapid city growth.

Living conditions: overcrowded slums/ no clean water or sewage system/ disease outbreaks/ low life expectancy

Industrial Rev

Developments in technology and productivity. Created great wealth and transformed towns, bringing factories, mines and machinery to previously rural areas.

Reasons IR began in Britian:

• agricultural rev: new farming techniques increased food production, resulting in a population boost and meant fewer farmers were needed, forcing rural workers to migrate to cities in search of wage labour, creating a ready workforce for the new factories.

• entrepreneurial middle class: took risks on new technology and boosted production and economic growth.

• abundant natural resources: coal and iron available, which became the primary fuel source to power massive steam-driven machines.

• wealth from British empire: raw materials (cotton, coal, gold, sugar)

• banking and finance systems: banks loaned money for factories and machines

Key Inventions:

• flying shuttle (1733- John Kay)

• spinning jenny (1764- James Hargreaves

• water frame (1768- Richard Arkwright)

• steam engine (1769- James Watt)

• steam locomotives

Steam Engine:

Factory System

• Production moved from homes to large factories, where machines replaced skilled labour.

• Workers had to work long hours with low wages and dangerous machinery

Child labour in factories

Children worked in unsafe conditions for long hours, performing jobs like doorkeepers or coal cutters due to cheaper wages.

Trade Unions

Formed by the workers to protect rights and ensure interests were considered by company owners and governments.