Cluster 7

Industrial Revolution

(Great Britain) Began in 1780s and took several decades to spread to other Western nations. The term Industrial Revolution means a period of increased output of goods made by machines and new inventions. (Reasons why the Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain)

The Luddites

A group of textile workers in England who destroyed machines that were costing them their jobs. They smashed them with sledgehammers and burned factories. They working class strongly supported this group however no change came about because of their actions.

Methodism

A religious movement that the working class people found comfort in. It was founded by John Wesley. Methodist preached on forgiveness and a better life in heaven. They took the message of salvation into the slums and tried to bring hope to the working class.

Markets

Reason 3. Greats Britons colonial empire allowed for markets to sell their goods.

Economic Success

Because inventors were now developing machines that could produce large quantities of goods more efficiently, prices fell. Lower prices made goods more affordable and created more consumers; this affected the way people lived.

John Stewart Mill

British philosopher influenced by Bentham who thought the government should step in to improve the lives of the working class.

Harsh conditions - children

Children were hired because they were cheap and their families needed the income. They were nimble and moved quick and could climb over and under broken machinery to fix it. They worked in textile miles, coal factories, glass factories, and more.

Invention Speeds Production

Cotton industries make cotton production slow. New inventions sped up this production. John Kay's flying shuttle - made weaving faster however weavers needed more thread from spinners because they could produce cloth at a faster rate. James Hargreaves's spinning Jenny - spun many threads at the same time.

Enclosure Causes Migration

Farm output and profits rose and the fields needed fewer workers. Jobless farm workers moved to towns and cities to work in new factories.

Laissez Faire Economics

Government shouldn't interfere with business. They believed that a free market would help everyone. The main proponent of laissez faire economics was Adam Smith. His economic theory was used as an argument against reforms.

Cottage Industries

Great Britain's largest industry was textiles. Cotton cloth imported from India had become popular. They tried to organize a cotton cloth industry at home which is known as Cotton Industries. These industries distributed raw cotton to peasant families who spun it into thread and then wove the thread into cloth in their own homes.

Workers Protest

Labor unions, or workers organizations, were illegal at this time however secret unions did exist. They wanted worker reforms such as more pay. They had no political power to affect change.

Proletariat

Marx argued that the bourgeoisie (the middle class) were the oppressors and that the proletariat (the working class) were the oppressed. Marx thought that the proletariat would violently overthrow the bourgeoisie and then form a dictatorship and set up a classless society.

New Factories

New machines replaced the cottage industry. These machines were too large and expensive to operate at home so manufacturers built long sheds near rivers to house the machines. Spinners and weavers came from rural areas each day to work in these new factories.

Transportation Revolution

Railroads - in the 1800s railroads became very important for transport and moving resources and goods. 1804 - first steam powered locomotive ran on a rail line in Britain. Better locomotives developed such as the rocket which went 16 miles per hour. Building railroads created new jobs for farm laborers and peasants. Less expensive transportation led to lower priced goods which created larger markets. More sales mean more factories and more machinery.

Plentiful natural resources

Reason 1. Rivers provided water power and allowed for the transporting of goods. Coal and iron ore were also abundant.

Capital

Reason 2. Great Britain had money to invest in the new industrial machines and factories, also wealthy British people called entrepreneurs were interested in finding new business opportunities and new ways to make profits.

Farming Methods

Reason 4. Farmers began to mix different types of soil to get higher crop yields. Others tried new methods of crop rotations. Farmers also began to use seed drills which was a mechanical device that deposited seeds in rows rather that scattering them.

James Watt

Scottish engineer who improved the steam engine. The engine could drive machinery and could now be used to spin and weave cotton. They were fired by coal which meant they didn't have to be located by water. It eventually powered locomotives and steam ships.

Karl Marx

Shocked at the horrible conditions in factories. He wrote the communist manifesto which predicted the struggle between social classes that would lead to a classless society where all means of production would be owned by the community. Later communism came to refer to a system in which governments controlled a economic and social life. He thought that capotalism made the rich richer and poor poorer.

Population multiplies

The agricultural revolution led to a rapid growth in population because it reduced the risk of death from famine because it created a surplus of food. (Bottom line people are healthier)

Utilitarianism

The idea that the goal of society should be the greatest happiness for the greatest number of its citizens. Jeremy Bentham, a philosopher and economist, who supported utilitarianism, supported individual freedom which he believed guaranteed happiness.

Urbanization

The industrial revolution also brought rapid urbanization, or the movement of people to cities. Small towns around coal or iron turned into big cities. Manchester - went from 40,000 people in 1780 to 70,000 by 1801. This growth of industry led to a change of people and labor.

New Middle Class

The industrial revolution created a new middle class and working class. Those in the middle class owned and operated the new factories, mines, and railroads. They lived in well furnished, spacious homes on paved streets with a ready supply of water. Their lifestyle was more comfortable than the working class.

Harsh conditions - miners

The industrial revolution increased the need for coal and iron which increased the need for miners. They worked in darkness and coal dust destroyed their lungs. They were in danger of explosions, flooding, and collapsing tunnels. They climbed ladders carrying heavy baskets of coal several times a day.

Quality of Iron Improves

The steam engine increased the need for coal and led to the transformation of another industry, the iron industry. Great Britain's natural resources included iron ore. A process called puddling was invented which burned away impurities in iron and produced a higher quality iron. This high quality iron was used to build new machines and means of transportation.

The Industrial Working Class

These people were poor and struggled to survive in the slums. They packed into tiny rooms called tenements or multistory buildings divided into apartments with no running water and no sewage or with any sanitation system. This led to the spread of diseases such as cohlera.

Socialism

This is where people as a whole rather than private individuals would own and operate the means of production - the farms, factories, railways, and other businesses that produced and distributed goods. There would be no difference in between rich and poor.

Thomas Malthus

Was a laissez faire economist who saw the effects of the population explosion and concluded that as long as population kept increasing the poor would suffer. He urged families to have fewer children and discouraged vaccinations. The population did continue to increase but the food supply grew even faster. His views proved wrong.

David Ricardo

Was another laissez faire economist who believed that the working class wouldn't escape poverty. Both Ricardo and Malthus apprised government help for the poor. They thought the best cure for poverty was not government relief but unrestricted laws of free market or business. They thought individuals should be left to improve their problems through hard work and limiting family size.

Enclosure Movement

When rich landowners took over and consolidated land shared by peasant farmers. This was done to gain more pastures for sheep to increase wool output. Parliament passed laws enforcing enclosure movement.

Harsh conditions - factories

Working hours were long with shifts up to 16 hours - 7 days a week. They were exhausted and suffered accidents from machines that had no safety devices. They breathed in dirty air; most factory workers were women because they could pay them half of the pay of a man. After women worked a full day they would return home to their tenement and cooked and cleaned.