Industrial Revolution Overview

Industrial Revolution

• The Industrial Revolution was a transformative period in human history, spanning the late 18th to the 19th century.
• It marked a shift from agrarian economies to industrial and urban societies, driven by technological advancements and mechanization of production.
• The revolution involved a greatly increased production of machine-made goods, beginning in England during the mid-1700s.
• This process transitioned economies from agrarian and handcrafted systems to ones dominated by industry and machine manufacturing.

The Beginnings of Industrialization

• Innovations in farming, such as crop rotation, selective breeding, and new tools, increased food production, reducing famine and freeing labor for industrial work.
• Landowners implemented enclosures, larger fields, and more productive methods like seeding and harvesting techniques to raise crop yields.
• Jethro Tull, a key figure in agricultural advancements, developed the seed drill, a scientific invention, around 1701. This solved the problem of planting seeds with greater efficacy.
• Crop rotation, a crucial development, improved upon older methods like the medieval three-field system, substantially increasing crop yield.
• Robert Bakewell increased mutton production by breeding only the best sheep. Lamb weights increased from 18 to 50 pounds between 1700 and 1786.

Why the Industrial Revolution Began in England

• Abundant water power and coal fueled the new machines.
• England possessed ample iron ore for constructing machines, tools, and buildings.
• The presence of rivers facilitated inland transportation.
• Well-developed harbors allowed for merchant ships to trade efficiently.

Inventions Spurring Industrialization

• John Kay's flying shuttle sped up weaving, significantly increasing weaver productivity.
• The flying shuttle was a boat-shaped piece that moved back and forth on wheels, swiftly carrying threads.

Other Inventions

• James Hargreaves invented the spinning jenny, named after his daughter, allowing a spinner to work eight threads simultaneously.
• Richard Arkwright's water frame (1769) used waterpower from streams to power spinning wheels.
• Samuel Crompton combined the spinning jenny and water frame to create the spinning mule, producing stronger, finer, and more consistent thread.
• Edmund Cartwright patented the power loom, accelerating the weaving process and serving as a predecessor to modern power looms.

Improvements in Transportation

• James Watt improved the steam engine, making it faster and more efficient while using less fuel.
• Matthew Boulton, an entrepreneur, supported and encouraged Watt's innovations.
• Robert Fulton built the steamboat Clermont, revolutionizing river transportation.
• John McAdam's improvements in road construction using large stones for drainage, created durable roads allowing for heavy wagons to travel without getting stuck in mud.

The Railway Age Begins

• Richard Trevithick developed a steam-driven locomotive that hauled ten tons of iron over several miles.
• George Stephenson gained a reputation for building 20 mine engines in northern England.

Class Tensions Grow

• The upper middle class included government officials, doctors, lawyers, factory managers, mine managers, and shop owners.
• The lower middle class consisted of factory supervisors, tool-makers, mechanical drafters, and printers.
• The working class saw modest improvement in living and working conditions.
• Ned Ludd, a laborer, was associated with the destruction of weaving machinery around 1779.

Positive Effects of the Industrial Revolution

• The Industrial Revolution created job opportunities and increased national wealth.
• Technological advancements were accelerated.
• The standard of living initially improved, leading to better health, housing, and cheaper goods.
• Advancements in education increased as the industrial revolution created opportunities in engineering, clerical, and professional fields.

The Impact of Industrialization

• Industrialization created a wealth gap and strengthened economic ties between industrialized and non-industrialized countries.
• Industrialized countries needed raw materials from less developed lands to sustain their production.
• Imperialism, the policy of expanding one country's rule over other territories, granted more power and wealth to already powerful nations.

Transformation of Society

• Revolutions in agriculture, production, transportation, and communication dramatically impacted lives in Western Europe and the United States between 1700 and 1900.
• Industrialization gave Europe significant economic power.
• Asia and Africa's economies continued to focus on agriculture and smaller workshops during this time.
• Industrialization transformed all aspects of society, from daily life to life expectancy.

The Philosophers of Industrialization

• The philosophy of laissez-faire advocates for minimal government interference in the economy, allowing industry owners to set working conditions.
• The term ''laissez-faire" is French for "let do" or "let people do as they please".
• Adam Smith advocated economic liberty as crucial for economic progress and minimal government intervention.
• Smith's theories were based on three "natural" economic laws—self-interest, competition, and supply and demand.

The Economists of Capitalism

• Capitalism is an economic system where production factors are privately owned and investments are used to make profits.
• The law of self-interest motivates individuals in the pursuit of their own good, which often drives economic activity.
• Competition forces individuals to create better goods and generate more efficient production processes.
• The law of supply and demand regulates the production of goods based on the market's needs and desire.

An Essay on the Principle of Population

• Thomas Malthus theorized that human populations tend to grow faster than food supplies leading to poverty and hardship.
• David Ricardo extended Malthus’s theory, arguing that many workers and abundant resources in a market-based economy could lead to cheap labor and cheap resources.

Utilitarianism

• Jeremy Bentham introduced the philosophy of utilitarianism, which evaluates the usefulness of ideas, institutions, and actions.
• John Stuart Mill, a philosopher and economist, championed utilitarianism and questioned unregulated capitalism, arguing against the unfair treatment of working class conditions.

Socialism

• Charles Fourier and Saint-Simon proposed socialism, an economic system where production factors are publicly owned for the benefit of all.
• Karl Marx introduced Marxism, a radical type of socialism.
• Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels argued that societies are defined by class struggles between the bourgeoisie (the wealthy, employers) and the proletariat (the working class).
• The Communist Manifesto outlined the struggles between the different classes.

Capitalism vs Socialism

• In capitalism, individuals and businesses own property and the means of production. Progress results from self-interest, market competition, and minimal government intervention
• In socialism, the community or state owns property and the means of production. Progress results from collective cooperation for the common good. Capitalism often leads to unequal wealth distribution, while socialism aims for fair distribution according to need.

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Industrial Revolution

• Advantages include wealth creation, higher productivity, and increased market expansion
• Innovation in transportation, communication, manufacturing, and employment opportunities in factories.
• Disadvantages include long hours, low wages, unsafe working conditions, and the employment of children, poor sanitary conditions in overcrowded cities, pollution and resource depletion, and wealth inequality.

Inventions Making Life Easier

• Thomas Edison invented hundreds of items, including the light bulb and phonograph.
• Alexander Graham Bell created the telephone.
• Guglielmo Marconi invented the radio.

Further Inventions

• Henry Ford standardized and created affordable cars.
• The Wright brothers invented the first successful airplane.
• Louis Pasteur's discoveries of bacteria and pasteurization revolutionized disease understanding and treatment.

Further Developments

• Charles Darwin developed theory of natural selection.
• The Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov studied the connection between human actions and environmental responses.
• Sigmund Freud founded the theory of psychoanalysis, focusing on the unconscious mind's influence on behavior.