The Industrial Revolution - Euro Unit 7

Industrial Revolution

1750 - 1914 A period of rapid industrialization and economic growth beginning in England and spreading to Europe and North America.

Dates of First and Second IR

1750 - 1830, 1880 - 1914

Main difference between First and Second IR

First used water power like steam and rivers, second used coal and electricity

Agricultural Revolution

Brings more efficient farming and new crops to the new world. Corn and potatoes were the biggest.

Effects of the Encoulsure System

Wealthy land owners were farmers, so they wanted to enclose public land for themselves to make more money. As Parliament was the most powerful body in England after the English Revolution in 1688, much of Parliament were those land owners and therefore had huge power to enforce the enclosure system. This lead to many people going out to work in factories.

Why Britain?

Tax climate was favorable for business, merchants were wealthy and had a lot of money to spare, population and economy were growing, a lot of coal

Transportation Revolution

Roads, canals, steamboats, and most importantly railroads. Towns are built around railroads. The first was George Stephenson's Rocket in 1829

Changes from farm to factory life

Standardized pay and hours, not sun up to sun down. Working conditions in factories were terrible and long though, and women and children often had to work.