Changes during the Industrial Revolution in Britain. Flashcards
Wealth from Slave trade
- The triangular trade route between Europe , Africa ana the Americas contributed enormously to the British Empire . They played the biggest role in it transporting nearly three million Africans into slavery.
In the 18 Century.
- Some ports and cities became rich . Birstol and London were the most important. But Liverpool became the largest port in The Athlantic.
- In the middle of the 18th century they were 175 ships in Liverpool. The mainincome was from taxes on imports and exports at ports.
- Britian exported textiles, manufactered goods and other commodites. Birmingham made cheap guns and sold them in Africa for a huge profit.
- Lloyds and barclays gain wealth fro the trade. Some indivduals became rich and were influential in politics.
Economy before the Industrial Revolution.
People were completely isolated and formed small communites . They grew grain and raised sheep for wool. This was all done manually since there weren’t machines but farming tools.
2.1 Farming Ecomony
The local peaseant farmers leased their land in the district because it was based on the open field system. In the 1700 there was developments too place.
*Jethro Tull - an English agriculturalist inveneted the ssed drill . This allows the seeds to be easily plante deep in the earth.
* He also invented the horse hoe that allowed horses to pull the plough quickly.
* Lord Townshed - an English nobleman introduced the four course roation of crops which helped good farming for the year
* Robert Bakewell - an English agriculturalist improved livestock breeding which increased animal prodution.
* The enclosure system- full power was gven to the owners of land and that meant they could produce a surplus of food to feed Britian . The peaseants were now forced to find work in the cities and towns. This kept the labour force going.
2.2 Cottage Industries.
Pre- Industrial Revolution economy was based on its cottage industry . They engaged in sewing, lace making or household manufacturing . Business operators and merchants traveled around buying raw materials and delieveries to th households . They collected the finished goods to sell locally . Although the largely collasped the contributed in some important ways:
* They were vey profitable for the urban merchants and helped prepare the country for he Industrial revolution by boosting the english economy through the increase of trade.
* Britain became well known overseas for its high quality and low costs exports.
* Urban merrchants gained experience in the import of raw materials and the export manufatured products that was necessary for sucess of the Industrial Revolution .
* Many people who worked in cottage industries developed skills that were needed in fatories of the Industrial Revolution.
3. What was the Idustrial Revolution ?
The Industrial Revolution was a change that began Britain . It was a move from people mainl working on lanf to people mainly working in
manfacturing . Mny moved to cities to find jobs. New methods of manufaturing meant things could be produced far more cheaply and quickly. There were new methods, invention and ideas this meant developments began . It saw an enormous increase efficency.
Social changes during the industial revolution
During the 1800s the industrial revolution spread through the whole of Britain . A number of people moved from the country to the towns and cities in search of better jobs. The wages of a famer were very low and there were fewer jobs on farms because of the inventions and the new machines that replaced thier jobs.
4.1 Urbanisation and changing living conditions.
Thuosands of workers were needed operate machines in mills and foundries . As a result , many people left the lives that they had known in countryside and moved to the cities. Cities overflowed with people and ike most cities they were not prepared for this great increase . Peope crowded into already crowded houses .When hee were no houses people stayed in lodging houses.
4.1.1 The working class
The Industrial revolution caused by the great changes in the lives of the working class. Mass production and mechanisation resulted in unemployment while some workers found jobs operating the new machines. Both empolyer and workers had to adjust to a cold relationship and most of the workers lived and woked under harsh conditions. The close family realtionships in the past no longer possible. he working day in factories were 12 to 14 hours a day for six days a week. But because employees wanted the machines to work faster they were forced to stay longer without rest. Jobs became specialised and boring. As the old technologies became expensive ,the tradtional means of income people werefoced to work at factories. Women and children who also worked as unskilled
labourers and earned even lower wages. Child Labour was really bad.
4.1.2 Overcroweded housing.
The workers houses were usually near factories. They were built quickly and cheaply. Most of the houses had between two and four rooms with one or two rooms downstairs, and one or tworooms upstairs. Victorian families were big with four or five children . There was no runng water and no indoor toilet . A whole street had to share and outdoor pump and a couple of toilets outside toilet. Most houses in north England were built back to back with no windows and no backyards and a sewer in the middleof the narrow street. Most hoss had five or more people in a single room. Even cellars were full . The new towns were very unhealthy and dirty . The rubbish was thrown out into the streets . Slum Coditions like these breeded diseases. 31000 died from cholera in 1832 and also by typhus smallpox and dysentery.
4.1.3 Poverty
Poverty developed in most most towns and cities . Firstly there were not enough jobs for everyone Secondly because of the oversupply of labour in factories they were paid very littke wages peole could not survive on. Thirdly increasing mechanisms created unemploment therefore families snet their children to work. Poor families on the countryside were aslo forced to send thier children to work . Groups of dirty childrean roamd in the cities with no regular money and no hme to go to . They were ofen orpahns with no one to take care of them. They stole, picked worked as crossing sweepers , sold lace, flowers, matches or muffins. they slept in outhouses or doorways
4.1.4 Workhouses
They are building meant to house the elderly, unempolyed ,sick and poor . They were built all over the country as a resut of 1834 New Poor Laws. They were feared , they would provide food drink and work for its inmates. It was a hard place and they were expected to stay until they died.
4.2 The mine and factories
Mines and factories offeed wok to people . However they were not always safe palces may childen and people wee injured or killed. The factory system was criticised for strict discipline, harsh punishment unhealthy working coditions low wages and inflexible work hours. They did not encourage good relationships, freedom , dignity and creativity.
4.2.1 Child Labour
Child labour is the use of very young children as cheap labour for little or no money .
The reasons they used it is because:
* Children were a source of cheap labour that allowed factories to stay in competitive.
* Childrean were ideal for factory workers as they were obident and likely to resond to punishment and unlikely to form unions.
* Their nimble fingers , small stature were suited to the new machinery and work situation of those tims.
* Children had comperative advantage with machines hat were small and bulit low to the ground as well as the narrow undergroung tunnel of coal and iron mines.
4.2.2 Child labour in mills.
The mill owners often took opahns and gave them a place to live but worked them as hard as possible for no wage.. they spent most of their time working. Sunday they spent cleaning the machines . There were serious accidents that to place .
4.2.3 Child Labour in mines.
The coal mines were dangerous places. The roof could cave in . explosions happened and workers got injured. Cutting and moving coal was done by woman and children. Younger children often worked as trappers. Older children were sometimes employed as coal bearers and had to carry heavy loads of coal.
The Mine Acts passed by the Government in 1842 forbade the employmeny of women and girls and all boys unde the age of ten. Later under 12.
