The First Industrial Revolution
Historical Significance of the Industrial Revolution
An ancient Greek or Roman would have been just as comfortable in Europe in 1700 because daily life was not much different agriculture and technology were not much changed in 2000+ years The Industrial Revolution changed human life drastically More was created in the last 250+ years than in the previous 2500+ years of known human history
What was the Industrial Revolution?
The Industrial Revolution was a fundamental change in the way goods were produced, from human labor to machines
The more efficient means of production and subsequent higher levels of production triggered far-reaching changes to industrialized societies
The Industrial Revolution
Machines were invented which replaced human labor New energy sources were developed to power the new machinery water, steam, electricity, oil (gas, kerosene)
Some historians place advances in atomic, solar, and wind energy at the later stages of the Industrial Revolution
Increased use of metals and minerals
Aluminum, coal, copper, iron, etc.
The Industrial Revolution
Transportation improved
Ships
Wooden ships Iron ships Steel ships Wind-powered sails Steam-powered boilers
Trains Automobiles
Communication improved
Telegraph Telephone Radio
Developments
Mass production of goods
Increased numbers of goods Increased diversity of goods produced
Development of factory system of production Rural-to-urban migration
People left farms to work in cities
Development of capitalism
Financial capital for continued industrial growth
Development and growth of new socio-economic classes
Working class, bourgeoisie, and wealthy industrial class
Commitment to research and development
Investments in new technologies Industrial and governmental interest in promoting invention, the sciences, and overall industrial growth
Background of the Industrial Revolution
Commercial Revolution
15th, 16th, and 17th centuries Europeans expanded their power worldwide Increased geographic knowledge Colonies in the Americas and Asia Increased trade and commerce Guild system could not meet the demands of increasing numbers goods
Background of the Industrial Revolution
Scientific Revolution
17th and 18th centuries Discoveries of Boyle, Lavoisier, Newton, etc.
Intellectual Revolution
17th and 18th centuries Writings of Locke, Voltaire, etc.
Atmosphere of discovery and free intellectual inquiry
Greater knowledge of the world Weakened superstition and tradition Encouraged learning and the search for better and newer ways of doing things
Development of the Domestic System of Production
Domestic system developed in England Late 1600s-late 1800s Domestic system of production putting out system
Businesspeople delivered raw materials to workers homes Workers manufactured goods from these raw materials in their homes (typically articles of clothing) Businesspeople picked up finished goods and paid workers wages based on number of items
Domestic system could not keep up with demand
Factory System
Developed to replace the domestic system of production Faster method of production Workers concentrated in a set location Production anticipated demand
For example: Under the domestic system, a woman might select fabric and have a businessperson give it to a home-based worker to make into a dress. Under the factory system, the factory owner bought large lots of popular fabrics and had workers create multiple dresses in common sizes, anticipating that women would buy them.
England: Birthplace of the Industrial Revolution
No concrete start date for the Industrial Revolution Marked by gradual, slow changes
After 1750 these changes were noticeable first in England
Why the Industrial Revolution Started in England
Capital for investing in the means of production Colonies and Markets for manufactured goods Raw materials for production
Workers
Merchant marine
Geography
Englands Resources: Capital
The Commercial Revolution made many English merchants very wealthy These merchants had the capital to invest in the factory system money to buy buildings, machinery, and raw materials
Englands Resources: Colonies and Markets
Wealth from the Commercial Revolution spread beyond the merchant class England had more colonies than any other nation
Its colonies gave England access to enormous markets and vast amounts of raw materials
Colonies had rich textile industries for centuries
Many of the natural cloths popular today, such as calico and gingham, were originally created in India China had a silk industry
Englands Resources: Raw Materials
England itself possessed the necessary raw materials to create the means of production
Coal vast coal reserves powered steam engines Iron basic building block of large machines, railroad tracks, trains, and ships
Englands Resources: Workers
Serfdom and guilds ended earlier in England than other countries English people could freely travel from the countryside to the cities Enclosure Acts caused many small farmers to lose their lands, and these former farmers increased the labor supply
Englands Resources: Merchant Marine
Worlds largest merchant fleet Merchant marine built up from the Commercial Revolution Vast numbers of ships could bring raw materials and finished goods to and from Englands colonies and possessions, as well as to and from other countries
Englands Resources: Geography
England is the political center of Great Britain, an island Great Britain (as the entire island was called beginning in 1707) did not suffer fighting on its land during the wars of the 18th century Island has excellent harbors and ports Damp climate benefited the textile industry (thread did not dry out) Government stable No internal trade barriers
Necessity Is the Mother of Invention
Spinning machine Need to speed up weaving Power loom created
Necessity Is the Mother of Invention
Power loom
Increased demand for raw cotton
Invention of the cotton gin
Necessity Is the Mother of Invention
Cotton gin
Demands for stronger iron
Improvements in iron smelting and the development of steel (Bessemer process)
Necessity Is the Mother of Invention
As more steam-powered machines were built, factories needed more coal to create this steam
Mining methods improved to meet the demand for more coal
The process of inventing never ends One invention inevitably leads to improvements upon it and to more inventions
The Textile Industry
Textiles cloths or fabrics
First industry to be industrialized Great Britain learned a lot about textiles from India and China
The Birth and Growth of the Textile Industry
John Kay (English)
Flying shuttle, 1733 Hand-operated machine which increased the speed of weaving
James Hargreaves (English)
Spinning jenny, 1765 Home-based machine that spun thread 8 times faster than when spun by hand
Richard Arkwright (English)
Water frame, 1769 Water-powered spinning machine that was too large for use in a home led to the creation of factories
The Birth and Growth of the Textile Industry
Samuel Crompton (English)
Spinning mule, 1779 Combined the spinning jenny and the water frame into a single device, increasing the production of fine thread
Edward Cartwright (English)
Power loom, 1785 Water-powered device that automatically and quickly wove thread into cloth
Eli Whitney (American)
Cotton gin, 1793
Device separated raw cotton from cotton seeds, increasing the cotton supply while lowering the cost of raw cotton
Elias Howe (American)
Sewing machine, 1846 Speed of sewing greatly increased
Development of Steam Engines
Early water power involved mills built over fast-moving streams and rivers Early water power had problems
Not enough rivers to provide the power needed to meet growing demand Rivers and streams might be far removed from raw materials, workers, and markets Rivers are prone to flooding and drying
Steam Power
Humans tried harnessing steam power for millennia
Hero of Alexandria, Egypt created a steam-driven device in the 1st century B.C.E.
Thomas Newcomen, England (1704)
Created a steam engine to pump water from mines
James Watt, Scotland (1769)
Improved Newcomens engine to power machinery
Steam Engines
By 1800, steam engines were replacing water wheels as sources of power for factories Factories relocated near raw materials, workers, and ports Cities grew around the factories built near central Englands coal and iron mines
Manchester, Liverpool
Coal and Iron
Vast amounts of fuel were required to smelt iron ore to burn out impurities Abraham Darby (1709)
Discovered that heating coal turned it into more efficient coke
John Smeaton (1760)
Smelted iron by using water-powered air pumps to create steam blasts
Henry Cort (1783)
Developed the puddling process which purified and strengthened molten iron
Increases in Coal and Iron Production, 1770-1800
Coal production doubled
6 million to 12 million tons
Pig iron production increased 250%
1800 130,000 tons
Great Britain produced as much coal and iron as every other country combined
Bessemer Process and Steel
Prior to the Industrial Revolution, steel was difficult to produce and expensive Henry Bessemer, 1856
Developed the Bessemer process Brought on the Age of Steel Steel is the most important metal used over the past 150+ years
Other improvements in steel production
Open-hearth furnace Electric furnace Use of other metals to produce various types of steel
Transportation
Increased production Search for more markets and raw materials Better and faster means of transportation
Before the Industrial Revolution
Canal barges pulled by mules Ships powered by sails Horse-drawn wagons, carts, and carriages
After the Industrial Revolution
Trains Steamships Trolleys Automobiles
Transportation Revolution
Robert Fulton (American) Steamboat (1807) Sped water transportation Thomas Telford and John McAdam (British) Macadamized roads (1810-1830) Improved roads George Stephenson (English) Locomotive (1825) Fast land transport of people and goods
Gottlieb Daimler (German) Gasoline engine (1885) Led to the invention of the automobile
Rudolf Diesel (German)
Diesel engine (1892) Cheaper fuel
Orville and Wilbur Wright (American)
Airplane (1903) Air transport
Steamboats
Robert Fulton invented the steamboat in 1807 The Clermont operated the first regular steamboat route, running between Albany and New York City 1819 the Savannah used a steam engine as auxiliary power for the first time when it sailed across the Atlantic Ocean 1836 John Ericsson invented a screw propeller to replace paddle wheels 1838 the Great Western first ship to sail across the Atlantic on steam power alone, completing the trip in 15 days
Macadamized Roads
Strong, hard roads invented by Thomas Telford and John McAdam Improvement over dirt and gravel roads
Macadamized roads have a smooth, hard surface that supports heavy loads without requiring a thick roadbed
Modern roads are macadamized roads, with tar added to limit the creation of dust
Railroads
1830 Stephensons Rocket train traveled the 40 miles between Liverpool and Manchester in 1 hours 1830-1870 railroad tracks went from 49 miles to over 15,000 miles Steel rails replaced iron rails 1869 Westinghouses air brake made train travel safer Greater train traveling comfort heavier train cars, improved road beds, and sleeping cars
Communications Revolution
Samuel F.B. Morse (American) Telegraph (1844) Rapid communication across continents Alexander Graham Bell (American) Telephone (1876) Human speech heard across continents Cyrus W. Field (American) Atlantic cable (1866) United States and Europe connected by cable Lee de Forest Vladimir Zworykin (American) (American)
Guglielmo Marconi (Italian)
Wireless telegraph, an early form of the radio (1895) No wires needed for sending messages
Radio tube (1907) Radio broadcasts could be sent around the world
Television (1925) Simultaneous audio and visual broadcast
Printing Revolution
Printing 1800-1830
Iron printing press Steam-driven press
Rotary press 1870
Invented by Richard Hoe Printed both sides of a page at once
Linotype machine 1884
Invented by Ottmar Mergenthaler A machine operator could create a line of type all at one go, rather than having to individually set each letter
Newspapers became much cheaper to produce
Cost of a newspaper plummeted Number of newspapers increased
Review Questions
1. What was the Industrial Revolution? 2. Describe at least three developments of the Industrial Revolution.
3. Compare and contrast the domestic and factory methods of production.
4. Why did the Industrial Revolution begin in England? 5. Explain why one invention or development leads to another.
Review Questions
6. Explain how developments in the textile industry sparked the Industrial Revolution. 7. Describe at least three developments in the area of transportation.
8. Describe at least three developments in the field of communications.
9. Considering the conditions necessary for industrialization to occur, how well equipped is the undeveloped world for becoming industrialized? Are modern undeveloped nations in a better or worse position than 18th- and 19thcentury England?
