Industrial Revolution Quiz

Learning about the Industrial Revolution: The Domestic System and the Factory System

• The Domestic System was a system of manufacturing before 1750, where goods were produced in people's homes or small workshops using hand or water-powered spinning wheels or looms.
• The manufacturer would deliver the raw materials and collect the finished products in return for a payment to the head of the family.
• The advantages of the Domestic System for workers included the ability to work at their own speed at home, better treatment of children, women could work at home and look after the babies, and people worked in better conditions.
• The disadvantages of the Domestic System included slow production of goods, not enough goods produced to clothe the fast-growing population, and children as young as four worked in the system.
• The Domestic System could only produce goods in small quantities and could not keep up with the growing population's demand for goods.
• The Factory System was a major change in the way goods were made, where new factories were set up with rows of large machines, and workers would leave their homes each day to work in the factory in return for a weekly wage.
• The larger machines in one location meant that goods could be produced in huge quantities at more affordable prices.
• The machines were initially powered by water wheels, but by the beginning of the 19th century, many used steam power.
• The Domestic System still continued alongside the Factory System for a time, but it became more and more difficult to compete against mass production.
• The advantages of the Factory System for workers included a steady weekly wage and the ability to work with new technology.
• The disadvantage of the Factory System for workers included poor working conditions, such as long hours, low pay, and dangerous machinery.
• The major improvement for the manufacturer in the Factory System was the ability to produce goods in huge quantities at more affordable prices.