Industrial Revolution Study Notes

Industrial Revolution: Part 1

The Essential World History Ninth Edition - Chapter 19 Overview

  • Chapter Title: The Beginnings of Modernization: Industrialization and Nationalism in the Nineteenth Century
  • Published: © 2019 Cengage. All rights reserved.

Chapter Outline

19-1 The Industrial Revolution and Its Impact
19-2 The Growth of Industrial Prosperity
19-3 Reaction and Revolution: The Growth of Nationalism
19-4 National Unification and the National State, 1848–1871
19-5 The European State, 1871–1914

19-1 The Industrial Revolution and Its Impact

Focus Question
  • What were the basic features of the new industrial system created by the Industrial Revolution, and what effects did the new system have on urban life, social classes, family life, and standards of living?
Key Features of the Industrial Revolution
  • The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain.
    • Reasons for this include: stability in government, no need for violent revolution, unobtrusive economic policies, and a well-developed colonial empire.
  • Improvements in agricultural practices occurred, leading to:
    • An increase in food production, allowing more people to be fed at lower prices.
    • A larger pool of surplus labor available for new factories.
    • A colonial empire that served as a vast outlet for manufactured goods.
    • The capacity for successful industrialization producing goods cheaply that were in high demand.
    • The replacement of hand tools with machines in many areas, leading to more efficient methods of production.

Results of the Industrial Revolution

Advancements
  • Significant advancements noted in:
    • Transportation
    • Communication
    • Rapid urbanization
    • Mass literacy
    • Changes in class structure
    • A higher standard of living for most individuals, including the working class and peasants.
    • Enabled industrial warfare.
Comparative Trade Value
  • 1780: Britain's total trade value slightly higher than France's.
  • 1840: Britain's trade value doubled that of France, despite France having double the population.
  • By 1850: Britain produced five times the amount of coal as France and all Germanic states combined.
Urbanization Statistics
  • By 1850, half of the ten largest cities in Europe were British cities.
  • Britain was already 50% urbanized as a whole, while France was only 25% urbanized and would not reach 50% until WWI (1914-1918).
Changes in Daily Life
  • Life changes included:
    • Adjustment to time clocks compared to previous lifestyles.
    • Many workers previously relied on subsistence farming, risking starvation.
Labor Changes
  • Formation of labor unions; strikes, and machinery breaking incidents occurred during this time.
  • Social and ethical reforms were spurred by industrial conditions.

Industrialization Features

Definition of Industrialization
  • Defined as "Change in industry."
  • Beginnings trace back to Great Britain due to various stable factors inclusive of:
    • Economic conditions, political stability, and expansive sea trade facilitated by a large colonial empire.
    • Advances in agriculture, iron production, coal extraction, steam power, railroads, and factory systems.
Agricultural Impact on Industrialization
  • Agricultural improvements led to:
    • Enhanced food production,
    • Decreased food prices,
    • Increased purchasing power for manufactured goods, improving nutrition and population growth, therefore expanding the labor pool.
Changes in Textile Production
  • Innovations in textile production included:
    • The flying shuttle, invented by John Kay in 1733, allowing one individual to work as effectively as two.
    • The spinning jenny, invented by James Hargreaves in 1764, a hand-powered spinning machine.
    • The water frame, a water-powered machine for spinning wool, invented by Richard Arkwright in 1769, which improved upon the spinning jenny.
    • The spinning mule that allowed operatives to manage over 1,000 spindles concurrently.
The Steam Engine
  • James Watt improved the steam engine in 1776, enhancing its power and fuel efficiency compared to earlier versions (1712 Newcomen engine).
  • This technological advancement revolutionized production, especially in cotton weaving:
    • Shifted from cottage industry to a factory system, dramatically increasing cotton imports from 2.5 million pounds in 1760 to 366 million pounds by 1840.
Iron and Railroads
  • Henry Cort developed new iron-making processes in the 1780s.
  • By 1852, Britain produced more iron than the rest of the world combined. This spurred advancements in the railroad industry:
    • London saw the opening of its first public railway in 1830 (32-mile track).
    • By 1840, the UK expanded railroads to 6,000 miles, critical for feeding the coal and iron industries.
Working Conditions in Factories
  • A new labor system emerged:
    • Workers operated in shifts with machinery running around the clock.
    • Problems with enforcing discipline arose, as many factory workers came from farming backgrounds, used to working hard at peak harvests only.
    • Factory conditions led to strict discipline, fines for minor infractions, and often severe consequences for children who were frequently employed.

Spread of Industrialization

Early Industrialization
  • Britain became the "workshop, banker, and trader of the world" by the 1850s.
  • The first countries to industrialize outside of Britain were Belgium, France, and the U.S., transforming the economic landscape of these nations.
  • Population statistics reflected a major shift in labor demographics:
    • In 1800, about 85% of workers in the U.S. were farmers; by 1860, this proportion dropped to approximately 50%.
U.S. Industrialization Specifics
  • Transportation advancements were critical due to geographic size:
    • Steamboats enhanced river transportation; railroads connected distant regions facilitating rapid goods movement.
    • Jobs, especially in factory work located mainly in the Northeast, were predominantly filled by women (80% of factory workforce).

Social Impact of the Industrial Revolution

Urbanization and Population Growth
  • Between 1750 and 1850, the population doubled, with over 50% of Britons living in urban areas by 1850.
Formation of New Social Classes
  • Industrial middle class comprised entrepreneurs and business leaders gaining social respectability and political power, contrasting the industrial working class that faced exploitation.
Urban Conditions
  • Rapid urbanization led to overcrowded cities, unsanitary conditions, where poor communities lived in groups of 5 to 6 sharing beds, and cities experienced more deaths than births during early 1800s.
Labor Conditions
  • The working conditions in factories were harsh:
    • Long hours (12-16 hour shifts), low wages, and lack of job security plagued the industrial workforce.
    • Child labor was prevalent, often exploited for physical size with inadequate compensation.
Legislative Responses
  • Laws were established to limit hours for women and children, which created gender roles in domestic tasks, emphasizing home as a woman's domain and reinforcing employment expectations for men.