Pre-Industrial Conditions What are the three pre-industrial conditions that led to industrialization in Europe? Growth in cities, financial innovations, argricultural revolution.

The Industrial Revolution Begins

Revolution….? A definition. A forcible overthrow of a government or social order in favour of a new system.

English Luck..? By the 19th Century, Great Britain would be one of the largest empires in the history of the world, an empire that at one point covered one quarter of the world’s land mass. Economically and militarily, Great Britain would be a significant world force. How did this small island become such a military and economic power in the world?

The Industrial Revolution Starts in England The answer is that England had an enormous commercial and technological head start over the rest of the world primarily because of the Industrial Revolution. Okay….but why did the Industrial Revolution occur first in England and not somewhere else in the world? Like the United States or China?

A Coming Together Historians describe a coming together of 9 factors that provided the right “fuel” for the Industrial Revolution to ignite and begin. But first….What is the Industrial Revolution? A period of major industrialization that took place in 1760 to the early 1800s. This time period saw the mechanization of agriculture, textile manufacturing, revolution in power, and had a massive effect on social, cultural and economic conditions.

Breaking Up the Industrial Revolution Definition Industrialization – The process in which a society transforms itself from a primarily agricultural society into one based on the manufacturing of goods and services. Individual manual labour is often replaced by mechanized mass production.

Factors that helped create the right conditions in England for the Industrial Revolution

1. Population Growth As cities started to increase in population, the demand for food, work and clothing started to increase as well. This created the correct conditions for farmers and manufacturers alike. As the demand for food and textiles grew, inventions for quicker manufacturing and production was needed to keep up with the population growth.

2. Agricultural Revolution With increase in demand for food, the demand for a quick way of production was needed. Therefore, innovation was needed to help meet this demand.

3. Financial Innovation Prior to industrialization, England would be one of the first location to create central banks and start markets. Strong encouragement to take risks in the investment of trade and new technologies.

4. The Enlightenment & Scientific Revolution There was a growing interest and encouragement for individuals to apply new scientific thinking to mechanical and technological challenges and innovations. This was most influential in England.

5. Navigable Rivers and Canals This quickened the pace and cheapened the cost of transportation of raw materials and finished products for Great Britain.

6. Coal and Iron Great Britain had a vast amount of coal and iron deposits which proved essential to the development of all new machines made of iron or steel and powered by coal.

7. Government Policies England’s policies towards property and commerce encouraged innovation and the spread of global trade. The government created patent laws (the first in the world) that allowed inventors to benefit financially from their ‘intellectual property.’ The government also encouraged global trade by expanding the Navy to protect trade and grant financial incentives to companies so they would explore the world to find new resources.

8. World Trade & Shipbuilding Britain and the rest of Europe had technological supremacy over the rest of the world with shipbuilding and navigation. This benefited them significantly in their quest for world trade. Provided European countries, especially England, access to raw materials and a market for goods. It also increased wealth that could then be loaned by banks to finance more industrial expansion.

9. The Cottage Industry The early establishment of the cottage industry. Clothing manufacturers from rural locations would give their products to merchants in exchange for raw materials and pay them for their work. Merchants would take the goods to the market in the cities. These cottage industries, along with the system of it, served as a transition from a rural to an urban industrial economy.

Article Reading From these factors you get a birth of new major industrial innovations that helped England in their industrialization.