Industrial Revolution and Agriculture Quiz

Industrial Revolution (1710s-1920s)

• The Industrial Revolution was a period of increased output of goods made by machines. It began as an agricultural revolution in early 1700s England.

Agricultural Revolution

• The enclosure movement transformed English farming. Feudal lord-controlled tenant farms were replaced by wealthy landowners renting land to free farmers. Landlords fenced off their leased property to maintain boundaries.

Three Field System

• Farmers rotated portions of their fields to maintain soil fertility. Different sections were left fallow (empty) for a period of years. This is a three-field system.

Crop Rotation

• Charles Townshend introduced crop rotation, replacing fallow periods with different crops to maintain soil nutrients. Examples include a rotation of wheat, clover, turnips, and wheat.

Selective Breeding

• Farmers used selective breeding to produce larger livestock, based on Mendelian genetics. An example is breeding large bulls to large cows in order to produce large calves.

Population Boom

• Innovations led to a doubling of the population in less than a century. This resulted from better nutrition (increased calcium and protein), improved sanitation (regular bathing and indoor plumbing, especially for the wealthy), and advancements in medicine (smallpox vaccine, but no antibiotics yet).

Industrialization Begins in Britain

• Britain's advantages included abundant natural resources (waterpower, coal, iron ore—later replaced by steel), favorable geography (large coastline for a large naval fleet and access to raw materials), progressive ideas from the scientific revolution and enlightenment, a well-developed banking system for low-interest loans to entrepreneurs, and political stability (no war on their soil during this period).

First Industry: Textiles

• Cottage industries were unable to keep up with the demand from a growing population.
• Factories replaced cottage industries. Inventions such as the flying shuttle, water frame, power loom, spinning jenny, spinning mule, and cotton gin were key innovations in textile production.

Industrializing Transportation

• British transportation systems dated back to the middle ages (horse-drawn carriages on dirt roads and shipping via natural waterways).
• A major limitation to shipping was the availability of waterways.
• Early solutions included canal systems to connect existing rivers, resulting in cheaper shipping and greater availability of goods, with the consequent expansion of factories.

Steam Revolution

• Steam power led to two key innovations: steamships and railways (trains).
• Engineers improved upon James Watt’s steam engine to create smaller, more portable steam engines, including George Stephenson's improved railroad engine, which used refined Trevithick's existing engine. This allowed for increased coal transport and industrial expansion.

Consequences of Steam Travel

• Positive: Greater availability of goods (due to cheaper shipping), lower prices (resulting from increased supply), further industrial growth, new markets (e.g., for farmers and fishing), and increased personal travel.
• Negative: Substantial air pollution, loss of jobs previously held by wagon drivers, breakdowns and accidents, and increased exploitation of labor within the factory system.

Spread of Industrialization

• Initially, Britain held a monopoly on Industrial technologies due to government secrecy regulations.
• Technological innovations spread to other parts of the world through the actions of Samuel Slater who copied Britain's technologies in the United States in 1789.
• By the 1850s, the US joined Britain as an industrial leader, followed by others including Germany, and Italy.

Urbanization

• Workers left rural areas for urban centers, attracted by job opportunities and steady pay.
• Farming was less stable with profits depending on weather conditions, and financial stability was also a barrier to farm work.
• This rapid population growth in cities led to demand for cheap, efficient housing (tenements).

Tenement Life

• Large 3-5 story apartment complexes housed multiple residents per unit (4-12 per room). Tenements typically lacked indoor plumbing, electricity, and sufficient space.

Problems of City Life: Disease

• Unsanitary conditions (lack of garbage collection, polluted water, rats, insects, and poor hygiene) and close living conditions led to high rates of disease (including cholera, typhoid, and amoebic dysentery).

Problems of City Life: Crime and Fire

• High poverty and overcrowding contributed to crime rates and the lack of effective police protection.
• Fire hazards were exacerbated by the cheap building materials used in tenements and the prevalence of open flames for lighting and cooking.

Working Conditions

• Farming: Families worked together, regulated by the seasons and weather.
• Factories: Families worked together in factories with regulated hours (12-14 hour days, 6-7 days a week) governed by a whistle, determined by machine speed.

Exploitation of Workers

• Workers were often paid by piecework.
• Zero tolerance policies with corporal punishment used for lateness or refusing tasks.
• Cheaper products for consumers, increased profit for producers, led to less worker satisfaction and poorer quality goods.

Factory Conditions

• Often, windows could not be opened for ventilation, and there were few heating or cooling systems. Factories were noisy from machines and contained dangerous equipment with parts exposed, making them hazardous. Workers lacked proper training.

Accidents and Disease

• Machines often resulted in injuries (crushed hands, arms, body parts pulled into machines).
• Diseases like Brown Lung (from textile dust) and Black Lung (from coal dust) were highly prevalent.
• Workers had little compensation for workplace accidents and there was no health insurance.

Women in the Workplace

• Women were excluded from high-paying or managerial positions and paid less than their male counterparts.
• Married women often lost jobs, and only poor women worked outside the home.

Child Labor

• Poverty led many children to leave school early for factory work.
• Repetitive labor caused physical deformities (hunchback, bowlegs).
• Children were forced to do physically demanding jobs like mining (5-6 year olds), in small mines, in textile mills (scrappers and doffers, as young as 5), and in factories of any type.
• Orphaned children were forced to work for their upkeep by workhouses.
• Children could be paid lower wages and were easier to manage than adults, making them appealing to employers, and unions struggled to organize them.