The Industrial Revolution An Overview

Introduction The Industrial Revolution (IR) impacted agriculture, production, transportation and communication Goods were produced faster, became cheaper and could be shipped from place to place quicker than ever before

Changes in Agriculture Middle Ages practice of common lands for livestock continued into the 17th century Enclosure movement- combining large tracks of land and fencing them off; often included the common lands This movement made farming more efficient and lowered the price of food throughout Europe

Agriculture Revolution

Small Landowners Cannot Compete The enclosure movement made it difficult to impossible for small landowners/farmers to compete They could not afford the new farming machinery, charge such low prices, or have enough land to use crop rotation

Roots in England Why England? Great factors of production: land (natural resources), capital and labor Also had great waterways for both power and transportation Possession of overseas colonies –great markets Government (Parliament) supported the economy and trade

Textile Production Cotton textile major industry in Great Britain 1 st industry to mechanize Before machines, people worked out of their homes Machines too expensive and big to use in homes Factory system is created Factories allowed more cloth to be produced, like food, now cheaper 1 st factories used water power

Telegraph

Water Wheel

Textile Mills

Danger in the Mills

Transportation

Before the IR travel was similar to how it had been during the Middle Ages; bad, unpaved roads More good roads needed to get to market– also needed better transportation to get raw materials to the factories Roads became smoother and more resistant to weather Canals helped connect waterways; faster than roads, but will be replaced by railroads Railroads- can get places where there is no water

Steamboats With the steam engine developed by James Watt, boats could now go both downstream and upstream Popular method not only for shipping goods, but for travel as well, especially in America

Changes to Work Before IR, work was personable; your boss knew you and the relationship was more like family Produced the whole item, not just one part of it- gave pride Factories were large places and the boss made no attempt to know the workers; became faceless Machines required little skill or training; children and women can do this work

Work, cont. Wages set by the employer- he wants to make most profit possible, so wages often low More workers than demand, so this drove down wages Men earned more than women Few opportunities for advancement

Rules & Regulations Strict times for eating, breaks, arriving and leaving factories Long days- 14 hours, six days a week Loud, dirty, and little ventilation Dangerous machines Get hurt? Can’t Work? Lose your job! Child labor –even as young as five Worst places: Mines – used children and women because they were small

Working in the Mines

Just Want to be a Kid!

Clean Air?

Living Conditions of Workers Lived in tenements (apartment buildings) Small; cramped Many lived in one room units Yet, even thought they lived in cramped quarters and worked long hours, workers standard of living increased Goods were cheaper and easier to afford

Tenements

Life in an Industrial Town

Middle Class Grew during the Industrial Age Bankers, manufacturers, merchants, lawyers, doctors, engineers and professors Lived and dressed differently than the working class Gained power and influence Able to pay for education Women stay home with their children; nurturing now important

Women IR took working class women out of the home and placed them into factories Paid less than men Some remained domestic servants; usually paid less than factories Middle Class women often had servants and stayed home Later 1800s- acceptable for women to work as nurses, telegraph/telephone operators and as social workers

Education 1870s-1880s- public education spreads College courses become open for women and a few women universities were established Need for teachers increased Women began teaching

Patents of Inventions

Population Shifts

Great Exhibition Crystal Palace, London The Great Exhibition of 1851, planned to promote Britain's industrial and imperial pre-eminence Designed to promote peace, free trade and class harmony This was the first world’s fair

Metropolitan Police Form Established in 1829 by the Metropolitan Police Act Began in London by the English Home Secretary, Robert Peel- overpopulated cities full of crime – fear of these “masses” Nicknamed “Peelers” and “Bobbies” Headquarter in Scotland yard until 1890, many feared a loss of rights

“Bobbies” First Bobbies were often drunks Only weapon was a truncheon (night stick) By the end of the 19 th century, they became an effective, if not popular force

Conclusion The IR was a true revolution Factories increased the speed and quantity of goods produced People moved from the countryside to cities; over crowed and polluted – need for police Standard of living increased, but only the Middle Classes had access to better jobs and education