1S End of Year Exam Flashcards
What is the Domestic System?
The “Domestic System” is the name given for the way most goods were made in 1750.
What does the “Domestic System” mean?
The “Domestic System” means home-working.
How were the machines like during the domestic system?
The machines used in people’s homes were simple, took up little space, and were worked by hand.
What did the employers pay their workers for in the “Domestic System”?
Employers only paid the workers for what they made and workers usually rented the machines they used. They had to pay rent on these machines even if there was no work.
Since when had the “Domestic System” been in use?
Since the Middle Ages.
What was the problem with the “Domestic System”?
The system only worked if workers could make enough goods for all the people who wanted them but since Britain’s population was growing fast, people needed the goods at a faster speed than the Domestic System could produce.
Why was the population growing?
Thanks to better diets, improved healthcare, less disease and established personal hygiene, less people were dying at a young age. However, the population could only prosper if they could be well fed
How were the very first machines powered?
The early machines were powered by waterwheels.
Where did the early factories have to be built and why?
Early factories had to be built near fast flowing rivers due to the fact that the machines were powered by waterwheels.
How did the very first machines work?
The machines were powered by water wheels. These wheels were turned by the rivers and streams. The wheel drove the machinery inside the building through a system of gears.
What was the first industry to have new factories?
The Textile Industry.
What is the water frame?
A machine best powered by water to spin thread. It could also work on horse power.
Who invented the water frame?
Richard Arkwright
What year did he invent the water frame?
In 1769
Where did Arkwright build his first factory?
In Nottingham, then he moved to Cromford in Derbyshire.
What was Britain’s population in 1700?
Around 9 million.
What was Britain’s population in 1900?
Around 42 million.
Name 3 reasons Britain’s population grew so much in 200 years.
- People were having more children.
- Less people were dying of diseases.
- People had more to eat.
What happened during the Agricultural Revolution?
There was a dramatic increase in the number of crops and livestock produced.
What did this mean?
Because there was more food, prices dropped and more people could buy the food. This meant that the diet of British people improved.
Why the Agricultural Revolution happen?
Most importantly, because of improved and better farming techniques.
Name 4 farming things that improved.
- Enclosure
- The four field crop rotation
- selective breeding
- Turnips
What is Enclosure?
A system developed which allowed farmers to farm the way they each wanted to. Before, farmers used the open field system. Each would own strips of land. They would trade with others to make their strips all in one space and enclose that area using hedges and fences.
What is 4 field crop rotation and who developed it?
Developed by Viscount Townshend, this meant that instead of leaving 1 out of 4 field fallow, you would use that field to plant turnips as they drew their nutrients from the deeper soil. This meant that the more surfaced soil was still untouched. Basically, you produced more food for you and your livestock.
What is selective breeding?
When farmers breed only the animals with the traits they want (eg. a strong bull and a healthy producing cow) to make fattier or stronger animals.
Who benefited from the Agricultural revolution and who didn’t?
Big landowners and wealthy farmers benefited as they made more money using these new techniques.
Farm workers had to work longer hours at a small price. Small farmers also couldn’t afford these new methods and usually sold their land to become farm workers.
Did factories make peoples’ lives better or worse.
Many people lost their jobs. It did beneft the factory owners but it was not good for the factory workers.
When did the industrial revolution take place?
The industrial revolution took place from 1750 and the next 100 years.
What 2 raw materials were at the heart of the Industrial Revolution?
Coal and Iron.
Why were they so important?
Iron was used to make machines and to smelt the iron ore, you had to use coal. Before, charcoal was used but it was hard to access it.
Who discovered the method of smelting with coal?
Abraham Darby
What is smelting?
Process by which iron is extracted from the iron ore by heating.
Why did the mining industry have to make new techniques?
Because there was a high demand coal due to the industrial revolution and iron machinery.
What happened to mines?
Mines had to be dug deeper so that more seams of coal could be accessed.
What was the problem with deeper mines?
Deeper mines meant flooding (underground water), collapsing shafts (pressure) and underground poisonous gases. There was also the problem of transporting the coal to the surface.
Who created the (improved) steam engine and in what year?
James Watt and Matthew Boulton in 1781. The Boulton-Watt Machine used a series of gears and pulleys to drive other pieces of machinery.
Were they the first people to use steam power? Who was the first person to use steam power?
No. Thomas Newcomen built a steam engine in 1711 but it could only operate up and down. It’s only main function was to pump water out of flooded mines.
Where were the new industries located?
Near iron sources as well as near coal fields. This meant that they were in Glasgow, Lancashire, South Wales and the West Midlands. Yorkshire, derbyshire, Nottinghamshire also had coal and iron industries.
Where did business men build their factories?
Near coal mines.
What country was the first country to go through the industrial revolution?
Britain. For some time, it was the world’s leading industrial power.
What happened by the end of the 19th Century?
Germany was producing more steel than britain and the US was even further ahead.
Since when did Britain have coal mines.
Since the Roman times.
What were the 2 main methods that miners had used?
Bell pits and Adit mines.
What was the problems with these methods by the end 18th Century
The methods could not source enough coal fast enough for the demand.
Why was more coal needed?
Because coal was needed to heat the water in steam powered machines, ships and railways in factories. The expanding population also needed coal to heat their homes as wood was becoming too expensive.
How did they support the mines
Coal pillars wasted coal. Wood had a big possibility of creaking and then snapping. Iron snapped suddenly without a warning.
What was the problem with flammable gases?
Miners had to work in the dark as candles could cause violent explosions.
What was invented to tackle this problem?
Sir Humphry Davy invented the Davy Lamp, an oil lamp which supplied light but did not ignite gas.
Was everyone pleased with the invention of the Davy lamp?
No, as it gave an excuse for employers to reopen dangerous mines.
What happened in 1866?
Near Barnsley in Yorkshire, a huge explosion caused the death of around 334 miners.
How did miners get coal to the surface?
Women & Children carried the coal on their backs on ladders. They also pushed coal in tubs along the shafts. Soon, steam engines winded the coal tubs to the surface. Pit ponies pulled tubs along shafts. Iron wire ropes were soon invented which meant greater weights could be pulled up.
When did Britain’s iron start to struggle?
The early 18th Century. It got so bad that they had to import
Why did Britain’s iron industry start to struggle?
Because Iron was expensive as it needed charcoal in order to smelt it.
What transport was mostly used in the early 1700s?
People either walked, travelled by horse or by carriage or wagon. It was all very slow.
How long would it take to reach Cambridge from London?
2 days by stagecoach at 6mph.
How long would it take to reach Edinburgh from London?
12 days by stagecoach at 6mph.
Were stagecoach journeys pleasant?
They were uncomfortable on bumpy and rutted surfaces.
What were the conditions of the roads?
They were extremely poor. In Winter, the roads became muddy, making them unusable. In Summer they were hard and rutted.
Why did transport matter?
Manufacturers had to transport their goods quickly and at a low cost. It was difficult to do this. Factory and mine owners used rivers where possible.
What changed in 1900?
Improved roads meant that it only took a day to reach Edinburgh by stagecoach. Railways were improved. Canals were developed.
How many tons of good did railways carry at the start of the 20th century?
550m tons, a lot more than 38m in 1850.
Why did roads become more important in the 20th century?
Because the motor car became popular.
How many km of improved were made?
190,000km
When was tarmacadam made?
1904
