London London London Industrial Revolution Part I England

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London

London

London

London

London

London

Industrial Revolution Part I – England

Industrial Revolution Part I – England

Thesis n During the mid to late 1700 s most of the rest of

Thesis n During the mid to late 1700 s most of the rest of Europe was directly or indirectly involved in some type of civil unrest; however England, which was detached from the continent proper, had already fought two types of revolutions, and had the most political and economic freedom, was primed for peaceful, societal breakthroughs. These emerged in the form of the Industrial Revolution, which, once started, gave England an overwhelming advantage in trade and military production and allowed it to create the most powerful empire since Rome.

(Industrial) Revolutions n n IR begins in Britain in the mid-1700 s On the

(Industrial) Revolutions n n IR begins in Britain in the mid-1700 s On the continent: French Revolution & Napoleon lead upheaval all over Continental Europe • Spain, Russia, Austria, France, etc. n One major exception is Prussia (which will have the IR second) • Congress of Vienna tries to fix this, poorly n One country in Europe unscathed: England • Had earlier Civil War & Glorious Rev. has recovered from that n US Revolution really not all that major on growth and economy (salutary neglect) of Britain • Strong empire (controlled the sea) and access to natural resources • History of strong economic systems (banking, etc. ) n The IR: • New type of revolution changes the way people live and work • Mostly refers to how machines helped people do their jobs faster • Huge impact on society more so than political revolutions

Still going on today n Historians claim three IRs: • Britain • Rest of

Still going on today n Historians claim three IRs: • Britain • Rest of Europe, US, Canada, Japan • Rest of the world (still going on today) n Social scientists claim three different phases: • Farming, textiles, early factories & transportation • New inventions in weapons, sanitation, mass production and culture • Technological revolution (still going on today)

The English countryside

The English countryside

Starts with agriculture n n England in the early 1700 s was covered in

Starts with agriculture n n England in the early 1700 s was covered in small farms Series of breakthroughs in farming: • Jethro Tull invents a seed machine that drills small holes in the ground to make sure seeds can germinate – huge increase in crop yields • Crop rotation replaces three field system n n Wealthy landowners start buying up smaller farms and create large farms Allowed farmers to work bigger fields = find new ways to farm and produce n n Example: Experiment with selective animal reproduction average weight of sheep goes from 18 to 50 pounds Two results • Rapid increase in productivity • Small farmers go to tenant farming or cities More crops + more meat = healthier people = Longer life= MORE people More people means more demand for manufactured goods • Clothes, household goods, tools, etc • Second phase occurs in textiles n n Series of breakthroughs: cotton gin, spinning jenny, power loom, etc. Starts with cottage industries, eventually consolidates to factories

Transportation n n Prior to IR everything moved at the speed of a horse

Transportation n n Prior to IR everything moved at the speed of a horse Start to move things on water • US and Britain both become obsessed with water and build series of canals • Over 4000 miles of canals in England by 1820 n n Technology quickly replaced by key to IR: STEAM Steam engine built then put in ships (and later trains) • Even more powerful when Isambard Kingdom Brunel figures out how to build big ships (and later trains)

Railway age begins n n n Road transportation improves radically at this time as

Railway age begins n n n Road transportation improves radically at this time as well Richard Trevithick invents a steam locomotive in 1804 George Stephenson builds the first railroad line in 1821 – from coal mines in Yorkshire to the North Sea First run was a 13 -ton load pulled by a locomotive at the breakneck speed of…. 21 mph But England could then ship coal from northern England to London, or even to other countries = more production = more jobs = Industrial Revolution Time

Inventions n n Conditions were right for an explosion of creativity Series of major,

Inventions n n Conditions were right for an explosion of creativity Series of major, major breakthrough from everything to waterproof clothes to early computers, to cure for small pox • Example: Cotton production in US goes from 1. 5 million pounds in 1790 to 85 million pounds in just 20 years n Glut of people and resources leads to mass production and consumerism • Need place to set up new machines to produce n n Get really big buildings = birth of factory Turn into productions machines running 18+ hours per day employing everyone (even kids) for very little • Also need new place for all these people to live n n n Most move to cities which aren’t ready Live in crummy conditions = slums Live at mercy of (sometimes cruel) landlords • All this will eventually be fixed but takes some time