when did the industrial revolution start

From 1500 to 1880, an aspect of the slave trade was to force African and Caribbean people to work on plantations. The industrial revolution in Britain began due to the slave trade. When Did The Industrial Revolution Start? The industrial revolution involved many changes in Britain including the introduction of factories, new machines were introduced to farming, the introduction of steam trains to carry coal and the formation of new cities in Britain. The industrial revolution was the transition from when people in villages used to produce their own goods on a small scale, to goods being made on a large scale in factories. Additionally, Great Britain became the world’s leading commercial nation, controlling a global trading empire with colonies in North America and the Caribbean, and with political influence on the Indian subcontinent.Image © David Dixon What Was The Industrial Revolution? Britain’s population grew 280% between the years 1550–1820, while the rest of Western Europe grew 50–80%.

The Industrial Revolution also led to an unprecedented rise in the rate of population growth. The Act also increased the electorate from about 400,000 to 650,000, making about one in five adult males eligible to vote. This granted seats in Parliament to large cities that had sprung up during the Industrial Revolution and removed seats from smaller areas that had been dominated by a wealthy patron. A straightforward legal system allowed the formation of joint-stock companies, enforced property rights, and respected patents for inventions.įinally, the Great Reform Act was passed by Parliament in 1832. The last major political upheaval was the Glorious Revolution in 1688 and a period of peace and stability followed when other nations were undergoing revolutions or political changes.Īdditionally, the political system of England encouraged trade and entrepreneurship. As a result, life in the country was relatively peaceful. While England was often at war, all of these conflicts took place outside of the country. These describe the inputs used in the production of goods or services in order to make an economic profit.įinally, the Industrial Revolution flourished in Great Britain for political reasons. These factors of production are land, labor, and capital. Natural ResourcesĪnother major reason why the Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain was that it had an abundant supply of what economists call the three factors of production. Often, these men and women moved to cities to work in the new factories. This enclosure movement led to more productive farming and greater crop yields but also displaced many small farmers. In the 1700’s, wealthy landowners bought up smaller farms and enclosed their larger lands with fences. This resulted in larger, healthier cattle and lamb. Farmers also experimented with livestock breeding by allowing only their largest animals to breed. Crop rotation techniques had improved over that period allowing soil to remain more fertile and growing outputs increased. Other innovations included new steel making processes by Henry Bessemer, mass-production, assembly lines, electrical grid systems, and other advanced machinery in steam-powered factories An Agricultural RevolutionĮngland had been an agricultural nation for centuries. Soon, other industries benefited from industrialization. This engine was more efficient and more powerful and was soon developed further to power machines in factories as well as steamships at sea and locomotives on rails. He improved on Thomas Newcomen’s 1712 Newcomen steam engine with his Watt steam engine in 1776. James Watt developed perhaps the most important invention of the era with his steam engine. The mule was the most common spinning machine from 1790 until about 1900 and was still used for fine yarns until the early 1980s. Samuel Crompton combined the spinning jenny and water frame to create the spinning mule, a machine that revolutionized the industry worldwide. Richard Arkwright invented the water-powered water frame, which produced yarn harder and stronger than that of the initial spinning jenny. The device reduced the amount of work needed to produce cloth, with a worker able to work 8 or more spools at once.

The spinning jenny was invented in 1764 by James Hargreaves in Stanhill, England.

Initial developments occurred in the cotton industry with the development of the spinning jenny, water frame, and spinning mule. One of the most important reasons the Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain was that many of the most important inventions and innovations that powered the revolution were developed there.

When did the industrial revolution start