Great Britain and the Industrial Revolution Why did Great Britain lead the Industrial Revolution?
The Industrial Revolution of the 18th century changed Europe forever. At the front of this change was Great Britain, which used some natural advantages and tremendous thinking and innovation to become the leader of the Industrial Revolution.
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.
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Once the factory became common, technological advances were soon made to improve them, the most important of which was the division of labor.
This use of factories increased economic growth two-fold and “facilitated economies of scales in mass-produced goods and the introduction of new technology for accelerating production” (Evans 110). Mass production made usually expensive items, such as shoes, less expensive and easily affordable by lower class and less wealthy people, which improved the quality of life and spurred on more advancement. One such advancement was James Watt's improvement of the steam engine, which shifted factory power from water to steam, making possible steam driven machinery. This also led to an increased demand for iron and coal, which in turn led to an increase in the mining industries. Some of the most important advancements came in the production of cotton, where several inventions stood out: John Kay's flying shuttle of 1733, which greatly increased weaving speed; James Hargreaves spinning jenny, which made possible the automatic production of thread; Richard Arkwright’s water frame; and Edmund Cartwright’s machine loom. It was the textile industry that pioneered the Industrial Revolution and its innovators encouraged others to continue the technological advancements that made Britain's economy flourish. All of this innovation needed entrepreneurs to use capital to put the inventions to work, and
Advancements in new technology clearly promoted the industrial growth of the United States. The new technologies allowed business owners to reduce labor in the movement of materials from one point to the other. This occurred by using the new technology of railroads and machinery. Business owners
Introduction of the factory system was earth shattering and increased manufacturing for the cotton and iron industry which effected cities and the population distribution. There were four inventions that changed manufacturing and the way people worked. Some inventions included the spinning Jenny, Crompton’s Mule, and the Self acting Mule, and the Water Frame. “In 1764, Hargreaves invented a new spinning wheel. He called it the spinning jenny in honor of his wife. This simple machine allowed one spinner to work six or eight threads at a time.” (course reader 102) The Spinning Jenny was a machine that helped the people sew clothes faster. Then came Cromptons Mule, “In 1779, Samuel Crompton combined features of the spinning jenny and the water-frame
The changes in the textile industry helped in industrialization. John Kay wanted to increase speed of waving by making the flying shuttle, others created the spinning jenny, water frame, power loom, and cotton gin (Doc 6). In this there was some innovations to increase speed of factories.
All of the skilled workers that had no job had plenty of time to think about their ideas and how to put them into play. The skilled people came up with many ways to make every day things even easier. These skilled worker made farming, making clothes, and other goods that are used every day much easier. “They could...make among them… upwards of 48,000 pins in a day”(Document 3). This is showing just how much was achieved with these new ideas and inventions. While alone these workers could only make about 20 per person. With these new inventions and ideas they produced and sold much more them they ever could have making them without the machines. Some of the new machines that revolutionized the way clothing way made was the cotton gin, power loom, and the flying shuttle. The longest and hardest part about making clothes was separating the seeds from the raw cotton. The cotton gin made this process go much faster. The power loom was used to weave threads into cloth automatically(Document 6). The downfall of this machine is that it is water powerd. This means that it must be used near running water. The flying shuttle was yet another invention that helped the people at home making clothes. The job of the flying shuttle was to increase the weaving
New technologies improved agricultural and industrial productivity. Growing cities provided markets and workers for industrial businesses. Products were allowed to reach distant markets because of improved railroad
By Definition, a rapid major change in an economy (as in England in the late 18th century) marked by the general introduction of power-driven machinery, or by an important change in the prevailing types and methods of use of such machines.- Merriam- Webster This definition over simplifies the industrial revolution. In reality the Industrial Revolution was much more complex and encompasses many different aspects. With that said the events that led to the Industrial Revolution were even more complicated. How and why Great Britain was the first to lead the Revolution was multifaceted and involves many aspects of economic and social developments. The predisposition of easily acquired recourse and healthy state politics allowed Great Britain to prosper. A core piece of the Industrial revolution was the advent of new technology. This technology would increase the production and efficiency of all factories. As more and more people flooded the cities and towns the demand for more goods skyrocketed pushing civilization into a new age. The Industrial Revolution was a cycle that feed itself, with need came technology and with technology came need and through this process arose new society. What led Great Britain to become the first country to star in the Industrial Revolution, comes down to a complex system of factors. Each aspect holds a major role in the contribution in the growth of the Industrial Revolution and of Great Britain.
The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain for several reasons. By the mid-1700's, the country had become the world's leading colonial
Because many manufactured goods were now being made interchangeably, the efficiency for manufacturing consumer goods was at an all-time high. Soon, the economies of scale technique was introduced and manufacturers were now able to figure out how much it cost per product depending on the supply, demand, and actual cost of the product. It was now much easier for innovators to focus on upgrading these products, instead of having to make them one by one. Once it was easier to upgrade machines, new
The Industrial Revolution is the name given to the movement in which machines changed people's way of life as well as their methods of manufacturer. It brought three important changes: inventions of machines that simplify and speed up the work of hand tools, use of steam (and other power) versus human power, adoption of a factory system. Workers were brought together under one roof and were supplied machines. The Industrial Revolution began throughout the world relatively during the same time period, and although it had its beginning in remote times, it is still continuing in some places.
Peter Stearns claims that the industrial revolution was an intensely human experience. What initially arose as scientific advancements in metallurgy and machine building, the industrial revolution period saw a redefinition of life as a whole. As industry changed, human life began to adapt. Work life was drastically changed which, in turn, resulted in family life being affected. As is human nature, major change was met with great resistant. Ultimately, the most successful people during the transition were those that adapted quickly.
The introduction of an a highly efficient steam engine by Thomas Watt in 1769 was undoubtedly a crucial factor in the advent of the industrial revolution. This made it possible for mills and later factories to be located nearly anywhere by eliminating the necessity of a running stream to provide power. It was the rise of the factory system of manufacture with its strategy for the specialization of labor which contributed most to the
Technological innovations and early factories: the pressure to produce more goods for the growing market and reduce labor costs of manufacturing was directly rated to the first decisive breakthrough of the industrial revolution. Also, some technological
New inventions came about to ease the production of goods that were being supplied. The creation of factories emerged by retailers who were struggling to meet the requirements of the masses surrounding them. The formation of power driven machinery was initiated in order to compete with
It also made production easier, faster, and cheaper since workers made an abundant of products within a short amount of time. Mass production in factories was possible because of the invention of machineries, leading to products being made without costing businesses as much money compared to if the products were hand made. Because products were made in factories, this also caused retail prices of the products to decrease while there was always accessibility for the supplies. The establishment of large corporations replaced small businesses, which was good news for the wealthy but bad news for individuals who owned their own small stores.
There is no doubt that the Industrial Revolution plays a central role in the modern British history. The structure of British society has forever changed by the impact and consequences of Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution is often stated as the increase of the number of factories, the exercise of steam power in a wide range of area and the mass-production produced by new technology in the course of 1750 to 1850 (Lane, 1978: 72). Engles (1986: 37) argued that the Industrial Revolution’s mainly development were the invention of the steam engine and the cotton industry. As the improvement of technology, the steam engine could produce more power with less