The Industrial Revolution

Which of the following statements do you most agree with?

The greatest significance of the Industrial Revolution wasA. The change in where people workedB. The change in working conditionsC. The advances in transportation and communicationD. Development of new energy sources

1. What events helped bring about the Industrial Revolution?

• An agricultural revolution– Crop rotation– New mechanical

devices (seed drill, etc.)

– New crops – corn & potato

– Enclosure movement

In the early 19th century, the Northamptonshire poet John Clare took a good look at the countryside and didn’t like what he saw. He wrote:

"Fence meeting fence in owners little boundsOf field and meadow, large as garden-grounds,In little parcels little minds to please,With men and flocks imprisoned, ill at ease.“

Enclosure means literally enclosing a field with a fence or a hedge to prevent others using it. This seemingly innocuous act triggered a revolution in land holding that dispossessed many, enriched a few but helped make the agricultural and industrial revolutions possible. It saw the dominance of private property as the model of ownership, as against the collective rights of previous generations. For some Enclosure underpinned the economic and agricultural development of Modern Britain.

• Enclosure –Wealthy landowners in

England took over land previously owned by peasants

–Experimented with new farm techniques

– Increased farm production–Villages lost common lands

and political power – peasants became even poorer

–Peasants went to the cities

While the Enclosure Acts from 1750-1831 drove many subsistence farmers off their small holdings of around 20 acres, the movement combined land into larger tracts for more efficient farming, and allowing portions of the fields to lie fallow. The traditional method of subdividing the land allowed farmers to feed their families, but their holdings were too small to follow the new method of crop rotation.  The larger holdings (which usually favored the richer land owners) applied modern methods of crop production. The unlucky farmer who lost his lands also lost the means to support his family independently. He and his family had no choice but to find work in the industrial north or in London. These burgeoning urban centers required an enormous amount of food to be brought in daily over long distances.

Results of the Agricultural Revolution

• More food available – led to population growth

• Industrial Revolution

James Watt• Scottish engineer

• Perfected the steam engine – made it more efficient and more powerful

• Main power source of the Industrial Revolution

• Write out a definition of the Industrial Revolution. What was it? When did it occur? Where did it begin?

• Define –Cottage industry

• Answer the following question2. What key factors allowed Britain to lead the way in the Industrial Revolution?

2. Why did Britain lead the way???• Geography

–Climate was good for textile production

–Plenty of natural resources (iron, coal)

–Separation from Europe – stayed out of wars

–Internal trade encouraged

–Population allowed to relocate

–Helped build canals, roads, etc.

–Less rigid than other countries

Government & Society

Colonial Empire• Supplied raw materials• Provided markets for goods