Industrial Revolution Flashcards

Interchangeable Parts

• Developed by Eli Whitney between 1799-1800, introducing standardized and identical components for manufacturing.
• Allowed for easier repairs and replacements of broken device parts, enhancing production efficiency.
• First application was in the manufacturing of muskets for the U.S. government.

Enclosure Movement

• A 18th-century initiative by wealthy British aristocrats aimed at consolidating farming lands.
• Implemented new agricultural technologies and crop rotations, resulting in the displacement of poor agrarian communities from common lands into private enclosures.

Domestic Systems

• An early industrial labor system where goods were produced by workers at home rather than in centralized factories.

Infrastructure

• Refers to essential facilities and systems such as transportation, communication networks, power plants, and educational institutions within a country or area.

Textiles

• Woven or knitted cloth that served as a major export for India, significantly impacting its economy.

Cottage Industries

• Home-based manufacturing activities involving part-time production of crafts and household goods such as sewing and lace-making.

Canal Systems

• Developed during the Industrial Revolution to provide an efficient means for transporting goods in large quantities.

Joint Stock Companies

• 17th-century English corporations that allowed multiple investors to pool resources through stock sales to finance overseas trade and exploration.

Mass Production

• The practice of rapidly and cheaply producing large quantities of goods, revolutionizing manufacturing.

Division of Labor

• A production approach where work is subdivided into separate tasks assigned to different workers to enhance efficiency.

Mechanization

• The transition in agriculture from human labor to the use of technology and machines for productivity.

Adam Smith

• Scottish economist (1723-1790) known for "Wealth of Nations", advocating for laissez-faire capitalism and free trade while critiquing mercantilism.
• Emphasized the role of individual self-interest in economic activities and the importance of supply and demand in setting prices.

Eli Whitney

• Inventor of the cotton gin in 1793; significantly boosted cotton production, which increased the plantation economy and the demand for enslaved labor in the South.

James Watt

• Scottish engineer who enhanced the steam engine, greatly improving its efficiency and effectiveness; credited with pivotal innovations like controlling steam pressure with a governor.

Robert Owen

• British cotton manufacturer (1771-1858) who believed in creating cooperative societies to reveal human goodness; tested his ideas at New Lanark and New Harmony but encountered failures.

Thomas Edison

• American inventor (1847-1931) with over 1,000 patents, including the light bulb; established a power plant that provided electricity to parts of New York City.

Charles Dickens

• English author (1812-1870) recognized for his realistic portrayal of class disparities in 19th-century England; his works highlighted the struggles of the lower classes.

Romanticism

• A 19th-century artistic and literary movement in Western Europe that emphasized emotion, nature, and individualism, often in contrast to the Industrial Revolution's rationality and progress.