J A N UA RY 3 0

I CAN EXPLAIN WHY BRITAIN WAS THE STARTING POINT OF

THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

Britain Leads the Way

Why did it begin in Britain?

RESOURCESSmall nation with large supplies of coal to

power steam enginesAgricultural revolution freed many people

from farm labor to factory work

Technology

Skilled mechanics eager to meet demand for new inventions

Demand and capital grew leading way for technology

Capital- wealth to invest in enterprises such as shipping, mines, railroads, and factories.

Economic Conditions

From mid 1600’s to 1700’s, trade from oversea empire helped Britain prosper

Slave tradePopulation increasedEconomic prosperity made goods affordable

to every social class

Political or Social conditions

Stable governmentStrong navy to protect empire and oversea

tradeReligious attitude encouraged hard workInventors and bankers were risk takers to

gain material wealth

Textile

Cotton imported from India was popularBritain developed system in which raw cotton

was distributed to peasant families who spun into thread and then wove the cloth.

Skilled workers finished and dyed the cloth

Inventions

John Kay – flying shuttleWeavers outpaced spinners with inventionJames Hargreaves - Spinning Jenny Spun many threads at same timeRichard Arkwright – waterframeUsed water power to speed up spinning

Factories

Spinners and weavers came to work each day in the first factories – places that brought together workers and machines to produce large quantities of goods

Transportation

Turnpikes – privately built roads that charged a fee to travelers who used them.

Others had canals dug to connect rivers and ports

Stronger bridges were built

Inventions

On Land- George Stephenson – steam powered locomotives

First major rail line opened in 1803 in England

ON sea, Robert Fulton – steamboat ClermontRecord breaking speed !!!! More than five

miles per hour.