World History Semester 2: Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution and Its Impact

• The Industrial Revolution improved lives through technological advancements and increased production, leading to greater wealth and improved standards of living for some.
• However, it also led to severe social, economic, and environmental problems.

Defining Industrialization

• Industrialization refers to the process of developing machine production of goods.
• It changes societies by shifting economies from agriculture-based to industry-based, leading to urbanization, new social classes, and economic changes.

Changes Over Time

• Technological and industrial advancements have dramatically changed how goods are produced and how work is conducted over time.
• Issues like economic disparity and exploitation of labor have persisted across time periods.

Positives and Negatives

• The changes brought on by the Industrial Revolution were both positive and negative, spurring significant economic growth and technological advancement but also leading to severe social inequalities and environmental degradation.

Workers' Response

• Workers formed unions, went on strike, and lobbied for laws to improve wages, working hours, and conditions.

Factory Owners' Response

• Factory owners lobbied for favorable laws, opposed union activities, and sometimes employed violent measures to suppress workers' movements.

Key Terms and Concepts

Industrialization

• A period of major industrialization from the late 1700s to the early 1800s that began in Britain and spread throughout the world.

Enclosure

• The legal process in England of consolidating small landholdings into larger farms from the 16th century onward.
• Once enclosed, the use of the land became restricted to the owner and ceased to be common land for communal use.

Cottage Industry

• A manufacturing system whereby workers make products in their own homes with materials supplied by entrepreneurs.

Factors of Production

• The resources used to produce goods and services, traditionally categorized into land, labor, and capital.
• Land: Natural resources used in creation of products.
• Labor: Human effort used in production of goods and services.
• Capital: Tools, equipment, and facilities used to produce goods.

Entrepreneurs

• Individuals who start and run businesses, taking on financial risks in the hope of profit.

Factories

• Large buildings where workers manufacture goods on a large scale, often using heavy machinery.

Inventions

• New devices, methods, or processes developed from study and experimentation.
• Key inventions of the Industrial Revolution include the steam engine and spinning jenny.

Steam Engine

• An engine that uses steam to generate power, developed during the Industrial Revolution, which became a crucial component in machinery and transportation.

Bessemer Process

• An industrial process for making steel from pig iron by blasting compressed air through molten iron to burn off carbon and other impurities.

Railroads

• Tracks providing a route for trains to transport goods and passengers over long distances rapidly.

Telegraph

• An apparatus for communication at a distance by coded signals; it was the first form of electrical communication.

Social Changes of the Industrial Revolution

Positives

• Medicine: Advancements led to better treatments and vaccinations.
• Lifestyles/Luxury Items: Increased production lowered costs, making goods more accessible.
• Technology: Innovations improved living standards and efficiency.
• Growth of the Middle Class: Economic opportunities created new social classes.