Industrial Revolution Flashcards
Demographic Take-off
Huge demographic changes contributed to the industrial revolution.
1700-1800 Europe’s population increased by 85-90%
The Potato and Maize
Spread of new nutritious foods across Europe meant common people have a better diet.
“Improving”
King George III obsessed with farming and “improving” his land. Desire to make what you have, more productive (Adam Smith)
Agricultural Improvement
New farming methods helping to increase productivity - fertilizers, crop rotations, land recovery. Farmers begin looking at cash crops.
Enclosure
Widespread common lands taken out of private usage and given to private landowners. Forced small independent farmers off the land as they could not support themselves.
Result of Enclosure
The elimination of small-scale subsistence farming, replaced by large commercial market farms capable of mass production
Capital Accumulation
Commercial farming vastly increased revenue. Increased revenue put back into improving the farm, the rest invested in the first factories.
Industrial Revolution Inventors
While many inventors created useless toys for the rich, some began looking at bottlenecks in production of goods and attempted to fix them.
Richard Arkwright - The Waterframe
After failed attempt to join the wig-making business, decided to revolutionize the spinning machine. Waterframe used waterpower to much more thread than a traditional spinning wheel and the thread was much stronger.
Cromford Mills
The first factory - used waterpower to run Waterframes for spinning. First implementation of the Division of Labor
Elements of the Factory
Mass Production: large quantities produced by a single location in short time frame
Power: away from using manpower
Division of Labor: many unskilled workers with narrow jobs
The Steam Engine
The most important development of the Industrial revolution
First Steam Engine
In use by 1710 by Thomas Newcomen, used to drain mines being flooded with water. Very inefficient
Improving the Steam Engine
Developed by James Watt in 1774 with the use of condensers. For the first time in history, people had large concentrations of power that were independent of location. Factories begin emerging everywhere.
What Drove the Industrial Revolution?
Mercantilism
Discovery of coal deposits in Britain
Protestant Reformation
Scientific Revolution/Enlightenment
Belgium
Followed Britain
First to follow due to discovery of coal deposits and was already densely populated and urbanized. Large available workforce
Egypt (Under the Ottoman Empire)
Industrialization failed.
As Egypt was still trying to gain independence from the Ottomans, limited resources available for industrialization. Attempted to build capital by increasing sale of raw goods, but could not compete with Britain.
Japan’s Industrial Revolution
Incredibly rapid and successful industrialization. Transformed from an isolated state to a world power, equal to the US and Britain
Commodore Perry
British warships arrive in Tokyo Bay. Demanded Japan open up to the world. Brits saw Japan as an entirely new, untapped market.
Meiji Restoration
Emperor Meiji takes over in 1867 by abolishing the shogunate and restoring the imperial house to full power. Initiated a period of rapid modernization and economic change, with the goal of maintaining total independence.
Modernized Japanese Society
Samurai demilitarized and privileges revoked. Legal restrictions on peasants removed and given freedom of movement
Development of Business Culture
Before British arrived, Japanese already had been developing a business-like economy. Sponsoring innovation is already an established ideal
Government Contributions
Studied the United States and Britain closely to determine which industries to replicate, and where they had not perfected it.
Taxed peasantry and exported cheap textiles to raise capital for investments.
Confucianism - Modernized
Central to Japanese culture, but must be modernized. Included strong emphasis on science and new learning, group loyalty and achievement, which could work to encourage economic change.
Work Conditions
Work in factories could be dangerous. No modern Occupational Health and Safety laws. 16 hour days, poor air circulation, dangerous machines, child labor,
The Alternative to Factories
Unemployment was NOT something wanted. Welfare did not really exist. Difficult to support yourself if you were not working.
Luddites
Resisted industrialization because artisans were losing their jobs. Raided factories and destroyed machines. However, efforts unsuccessful as factories were so profitable they could afford to fix it.
The English Factory Act (1833)
As more children were hurt in incidents at factories, British parliament passed law to restrict child labor. Children 9 and under could not work
