Jaime Bermudez
Block: 3
10-29-15
Industrial revolution
The Industrial Revolution, which took place from the 18th to 19th centuries, was a
period during which predominantly agrarian, rural societies in Europe and America
became industrial and urban. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, which began in Britain in
the late 1700s, manufacturing was often done in peoples homes, using hand tools or basic
machines. Industrialization marked a shift to powered, special-purpose machinery,
factories and mass production. The iron and textile industries, along with the development
of the steam engine, played central roles in the Industrial Revolution, which also saw
improved systems of transportation, communication and banking. While industrialization
brought about an increased volume and variety of manufactured goods and an improved
standard of living for some, it also resulted in often grim employment and living conditions
for the poor and working classes.
Before the advent of the Industrial Revolution, most people resided in small, rural
communities where their daily existences revolved around farming. Life for the average
person was difficult, as incomes were meager, and malnourishment and disease were
common. People produced the bulk of their own food, clothing, furniture and tools. Most
manufacturing was done in homes or small, rural shops, using hand tools or simple
machines. As demand for British goods increased, merchants needed more cost-effective
methods of production, which led to the rise of mechanization and the factory system.
The textile industry, in particular, was transformed by industrialization. Before
mechanization and factories, textiles were made mainly in peoples homes (giving rise to
the term cottage industry), with merchants often providing the raw materials and basic
equipment, and then picking up the finished product. Workers set their own schedules
under this system, which proved difficult for merchants to regulate and resulted in
numerous inefficiencies. In the 1700s, a series of innovations led to ever-increasing
productivity, while requiring less human energy. For example, around 1764, Englishman
James Hargreaves invented the spinning jenny (jenny was an early abbreviation of the
word engine), a machine that enabled an individual to produce multiple spools of
threads simultaneously. By the time of Hargreaves death, there were over 20,000 spinning
jennys in use across Britain. The spinning jenny was improved upon by British inventor
Samuel Comptons spinning mule, as well as later machines. Another key innovation in
textiles, the power loom, which mechanized the process of weaving cloth, was developed
in the 1780s by English inventor Edmund Cartwright. The steam engine was also integral to
industrialization. In 1712, Englishman Thomas Newcomen developed the first practical
steam engine (which was used primarily to pump water out of mines). By the 1770s,
Scottish inventor James Watt had improved on Newcomens work, and the steam engine
went on to power machinery, locomotives and ships during the Industrial Revolution.
The British enacted legislation to prohibit the export of their technology and skilled
workers; however, they had little success in this regard. Industrialization spread from
Britain to other European countries, including Belgium, France and Germany, and to the
United States. By the mid-19th century, industrialization was well-established throughout
the western part of Europe and Americas northeastern region. By the early 20th century,
the U.S. had become the worlds leading industrial nation.
