Industrial Revolution Notes

Industrial Revolution Begins

Factors Contributing to Industrialization (1750-1900):

  • Proximity to waterways: access to rivers and canals.
  • Geographical distribution of coal, iron, and timber.
  • Urbanization: concentration of labor and capital in confined areas, migration from rural to urban.
  • Improved agricultural productivity: crop rotation, seed drill, growing population with fewer farmers needed.
  • Legal protection of private property: consolidation of landholdings, secure assets.
  • Access to foreign resources: raw materials from colonies (cotton, rubber, timber, metals).
  • Accumulation of capital: wealth through trade, modern banking, stock exchanges, insurance companies.
  • The development of the factory system concentrated production in a single location and led to an increasing degree of specialization of labor.

Industrial Revolution:

  • Transition from agrarian economies to manufacturing-based economies.
  • Shift from manual labor to mechanized processes.
  • Began in Britain in the late 18th century.
  • Transition from hand-made goods to machine-produced items.
  • Textiles, iron, and coal mining saw significant changes.
  • Introduction of the steam engine, spinning jenny, and power loom.
  • Development of railways and canals improved transportation.
  • Rapid urbanization: migration from rural areas seeking factory jobs.
  • Rise of capitalism and new financial institutions.
  • Increased use of coal led to pollution and deforestation.

Natural Resources:

  • Coal: used to power factories.
  • Iron: used to build machines.
  • Timber: used for construction.

Agricultural Productivity:

  • Crop Rotation: (growing different crops successively)(\text{growing different crops successively}) to improve soil health.
  • Seed Drill: Plants seeds at a consistent depth and spacing.

Enclosure Movement:

  • Consolidation of small landholdings into larger farms.
  • Forced farmers off common lands into urban areas.

Access to Foreign Resources:

  • British colonies supplied raw materials: cotton, rubber, timber, metals.
  • Colonies provided markets for exporting goods.

Accumulation of Capital:

  • Britain amassed wealth through trade.
  • Modern banking facilitated investment.
  • Stock exchanges allowed raising capital.
  • Insurance companies helped mitigate risk.

Technology of the Industrial Revolution (1750-1900):

  • Development of machines, including steam engines and the internal combustion engine, made it possible to take advantage of both existing and vast newly discovered sources of energy stored in fossil fuels, specifically coal and oil. The fossil fuels revolution really increased the energy available to human societies
  • The “Second Industrial Revolution” led to new methods in the production of steel, chemicals, electricity, and precision machinery during the second half of the 19th century.
  • Railroads, steamships, and the telegraph made exploration, development, and communication possible in interior regions globally, which led to increased trade and migration.