DBQ: The Industrial Revolution

However the biggest advantage Britain had that spurred their modern thinking into industrial factories was its geography. England had fast flowing rivers that were effective to power water mills for machinery, and provided transportation routes for industrial goods. The weak point about rivers was that in winter they froze, stopping the water powered machinery and blocking routes (Little, n.d.). This leads to the true geographical advantage of Britain, one that wasn’t stop by the effects of seasons: high deposits of coal and iron ore. Coal was able to power the newly invented steam engine, which was a breakthrough leading to large scale industries (Little, n.d.).

The Industrial Revolution began in England during the 18th Century. This revolution started out in England, and spread throughout Europe and North America. Many technologic and agricultural advances were made during this time. Factories became the main source of production, rather than in home workers. This resulted in many people living in rural areas to move into industrialized cities, which was called rural to urban migration. The Industrial Revolution started in England due to its supply of natural resources, advanced technology and inventions, and political freedom.

The industrial revolution began in England during the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. There were several factors that played a role in why the industrial revolution began in England. One of the most important factors that played a role was the rich land. The land at this point in time had numerous different natural resources that could be used to benefit the country. The land had an enormous amount of different resources such as coal, iron, wool, cotton, and lead. Another major benefit of the geography of the land was how the furthest point in the country from sea was only seventy miles away. This helped because the country was able to import and export more goods and as well as being able to do such things as fishing and whaling. These

Britain was one of the first countries to industrialize due to their significant amount of coal and iron. Britain had many workers and usually had children go into mines to get the coal, since children were smaller and easier to afford. Coal and Iron were very important for Britain, it helped industrialization become easier but it also created new technologies.

Great Britain was the first state to have an Industrial Revolution and it happened at the specific time that it did due to having all of the right resources that they needed to be successful. The origins of the Industrial Revolution were the agricultural revolution and a rapid population growth. The agricultural revolution lowered food prices and allowed families to have extra money to spend on manufactured goods. The rapid population growth led to a surplus of available workers for the new factories. The main resources in Great Britain that led to the success of the Industrial Revolution when it occurred were supply of capital, early industrial entrepreneurs, mineral resources, the government, and markets. Britain had an effective central

Kenneth Pomeranz argues that the industrial revolution occurred in England due to fortunate geographic circumstances such as easy access to coal for power as well as colonies where raw materials could be easily sourced. In contrast China lacked these advantages. For example Chinese coal was located in the north and its industrial base in the south.

The English "consumed far greater amounts of meat than their French counterparts" (Evans, 6) and what is even more surprising is that this prosperity was also enjoyed by populations living well outside urban settlements. Stratification in British society was more than evident in this period and this is evident by unequal access to wealth, status, and power. Aristocracy was an integral part of the society and divine rule was still a universal belief held by most subjects of the British society. Bureaucracy, at the time, was a well established institution which seemed to grow with the growth of the economy subsequent to the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution was the result of several factors that Britain had supremacy over. The British colonies were at its highest productivity and all the exports were shipped to England where they were sold or used as raw materials for production. It is argued that the cotton industry was the largest contributor to the technological advances of the period, more specifically, advances in weaving techniques. Factories grew in urban areas of England, where labor was plentiful, and it was not long before even the cities were not big enough to supply the labor requirements of the factories. Rural settlements soon were emptied by the promise of prosperity and independence from communal living. Massive amounts of previously agricultural workers were migrating to the cities with no vision of what may be in store for them. What awaited

The development of industry in Britain was a long and gradual process. Industrialization occurred much quicker in Britain because of the existing conditions of the country. A functional system of waterways allowed Britain the capacity to transport goods easily. Natural resources such as coal, timber, and metal ore were abundant and provided fuel to power furnaces that

The high production lowered the cost of the food and raised the standard of life. On the other hand, small farmer and peasant class was unemployed as they lost their land to rich landholders. There was increase in the labour force. It seems that socially and economically England possessed everything needed to fuel the industrial revolution.

It was the perfect country for the Revolution to spark in. At the time Britain was a stable society as well as the world’s leading colonial power. Britain was a secure island location with a robust empire, profitable overseas trade networks, and established credit institutions (Cole 506). It was the perfect spot for the Industrial Revolution because Britain was extremely effective in developing commerce. One of main benefits of Great Britain is the geography of the island because it is the closest nation to the Atlantic. In which, trading is very convenient to the Americas as a whole. The primary industry was the textile industry. The textile industry had the most employees and was an invested capital. Before the factories textiles were made mainly in people homes otherwise known as a cottage industry. Making things in a factory compared to being at home can be way more productive. Railroads made transporting goods in Europe easy. Railroads later made its way to the United States and Western Europe. With the help of new inventions it drastically help productivity and efficiency. Before the revolution producing things were difficult, do to no new inventions. Many things were handmade resulting in many people getting injured, it also made work harder for people at home. Trains to this day are highly used to transport goods across Europe and around the world, their more efficient and

England’s geography was perfect. England sits on vast quantities of coal, a carbon based mineral. Coal burns better and more efficiently than wood and, if you have lots of coal, it is substantially cheaper. The English figured out that they could replace wood with coal in the melting of metals, including iron, and went about digging coal from the ground.

The Industrial Revolution started in Great Britain during the late 1700s. The rest of Europe did not catch up for a couple more years as Britain started this trend. I will talk about why the Industrial Revolution happened in Great Britain, the cottage industry, major industries during this time, and the downside of this major event.

The change from agriculture to industry was vast and it must be remembered that England was the first country to undergo this profound change. The initial effect on engineering industries arising at the start of the Industrial Revolution were due partly to the geographical location of the resources i.e. coal iron and water. The

First, Britain had some tremendous natural attributes. It was naturally endowed with many deposits of coal and iron ore, which were used heavily in the early stages of factory production. In addition, Britain was situated at a critical point for international trade. Its position between the United States and the rest of Europe allowed them to have a serious impact in all matters of trade.

The UK led this renewal in a variety of different ways, including their natural resources, agricultural abundance, and imperial power. Before the industrial revolution, they had a great abundance of wood and coal, which allowed them to power factories and easily transport these resources due to their geographic advantage. In the 18th century, a larger percentage of land was used for production that fueled a growing population. The result of people moving to urbanize contributed the need for labor. Industrialization also prospered because of the country’s large colonial empire. By the early 19th century, the UK dominated oceanic trade, advantaging the factory owners since their exports could be transported abroad. British dominance of world trade meant that it efficiently controlled the economies of regions that the UK had formally exerted control over.