FROM MUSCLE TO MACHINES!Industrial Revolution: Honors World History

Lecture Notes

A New Kind of Revolution

How did one farmer’s frustration help start a revolution? Jethro Tull had never planned to be a farmer. He had

trained to be a lawyer but inherited the family farm. While running the farm, he became annoyed by the workers’ sloppy habits. For example, when planting, they wasted seeds by throwing big handfuls onto the ground!

Sure that the job could be done more efficiently, Tull invented a horsedrawn machine that planted seeds one by one. He called it the seed drill. Without knowing it, Tull was helping to start a revolution – an agricultural revolution that would that bring changes to nearly all aspects of life!!!

A New Kind of Revolution: Dawn of an Industrial Age

I. Beginnings of Industrialization A. Began in the Mid - 1700s. B. Triggered by a 2nd Agricultural

Revolution1. Construction of dikes (Dutch led

the way.)2. Utilization of livestock manure as fertilizer

3. Crop Rotation4. Invention of the seed drill5. Enclosure Movement

C. Population Multiplies => more available workers!

1. Britain’s population soared from about 5 million in 1700 to almost 9 million in 1800.

2. Population of Europe shot-up from roughly 120 million to 180 million during the same time!

3. Unprecedented growth a. reduced risk of death from famine due to the

new food surplus b. improved nutrition resulted in a healthier

population c. decreased death rate from disease

1.) better hygiene and sanitation 2.) improved medical care

II. Britain Leads the Way!

A. Factors for Success 1.Exploration and Colonialism

a. Provided vast amounts of raw materials, such as cotton fiber

b. Served as new markets for British goods (Note: India’s own textile industry was severely damaged due to British competition.)

2. Seapowera. had the largest, most powerful navy and merchant fleet in the world

b. was able to easily bring in raw materials from abroad and distribute finished goods globally

3. Government

a. Stability1.) Despite fighting wars in Canada and North America during the 1700s, at home Britain was at peace.

2.) No internal strife – civil war, etc. allowed a greater concentration on commerce/ internal development.

b. Legislation passed by Parliament favored business, helping Britain to compete successfully against other countries.

4. Growth of Private Investment a. Beginning with the slave trade, the

business class accumulated capital, or wealth, to invest in enterprises such as shipping, mines, railroads, and factories.

b. Entrepreneurial Spirit Emerges 1.) Many were ready to risk their capital

in new ventures. 2.) Private businesses funded

experiments for creating better products – what we would call “research and development” today.

5. Agricultural Factors

a. New inventions such as Jethro Tull’s the seed drill in 1701 made planting grain much more efficient.

b. Educated farmers exchanged the results of their experimentation involving mixing soils, rotating crops, and other strategies through farm journals.

c. King George III, nicknamed “Farmer George” wrote articles about his model farm near Windsor Castle.

d. Enclosure Movement

1.) Wealthy landowners could buy up fields previously shared by rich and poor farmers alike.

2.) These new landowners combined the small fields to create large farms and fenced them- thus the term “enclosure.”

B. Factors of Production: Britain’s Big Advantage

1. Land (In this context, means all of a place’s natural resources.) a. Coal to burn as fuel b. Iron to make into steel and machinery c. MOST important: WATER!

1.) Plentiful streams and rivers to turn waterwheels and generate power.

2.) Waterways also provided for transportation between mines, factories, and markets.

3.) Canal system 4.) Good deep-water harbors for long

distance shipping!

2. Labor

a. Growing population due to increased food supply

b. Displaced workers seeking employment due to enclosure movement – eager to work – survival depended on it!!!!!

c. Had “human capital” – people with abilities and skills that are needed in industry.

3. Capital

a. Refers to funds for investment in business

b. Generally prosperous, Britain had money to spend.

C. Textile Industry Thrives

1. Britain’s largest industry 2. Inventions speed production

a. Faster spinning and weaving machines

1.) Spinning Jenny in 1764 – spun many

threads at the same time 2.) Presented a unique

challenge to produce enough cotton to

keep up with England’s pace of

production

3.) Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin that

separated seeds from cotton quickly in 1793.

4.) Cotton production increased exponentially

“1st Cotton Gin” from Harper’s Weekly. 1869Illustration depicting event 70 years earlier

3. Factories Emerge!

a. Because new machines were too large and expensive to be operated at home, manufacturers built long sheds to house the machines.

b. Initially located near rapidly moving streams for water power but eventually were powered by steam engines.

4. The Transportation Revolution a. Turnpikes built as entrepreneurs

needed faster and cheaper methods of transportation

b. Canals boom: In the mid 1700s, England had about 1,000 miles of canals, which grew to about 4,000 by 1800 but they begin to lose their appeal in the 1830s due to a new preferred type of transportation!

c. Steam Locomotives appear and go global!

All aboard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1.) Railroads did not have to follow the course of a river. (So tracks could go places where rivers did not.)

2.) World’s first major rail line, from Liverpool to Manchester, opened in 1830.

By 1870, rail lines crisscrossed Britain, Europe, and North America!

THE EXCITEMENT OF A NEW ERA, THE BLESSINGS OF TECHNOLOGY ABOUND AND ARE UNDENIABLE….

OR are they?

All that glitters isn’t gold!

Be careful what you wish for!Will the Industrial Revolution prove to be a blessing or a curse? Will the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?