Industrial Revolution: Chapter 1 PDF

C H A P T E R 1 Industrial Revolution Introduction The broad change generated by man in the industrial and technological fields within a period of about six decades by producing goods with the help of machines instead of manual labour is termed as “the industrial revolution....

C H A P T E R 1 Industrial Revolution Introduction The broad change generated by man in the industrial and technological fields within a period of about six decades by producing goods with the help of machines instead of manual labour is termed as “the industrial revolution.” 1.1 Beginning and Development of the Industrial Revolution The industrial revolution began towards the latter part of the 18th century in Britain. It was limited to Britain for about another half century. Yet, by the 19th century, the influence of the industrial revolution spread to the other countries in Europe and the rest of the world. Trade was the major reason for the emergence of the industrial revolution in Europe. When the situation of Europe in the 18th century is analyzed, it can be seen that France, Portugal and Spain other than Britain engaged themselves in colonization and extensive trade. Therefore, it is important to inquire into the reasons why such a revolution began in Britain.  Reasons for the Emergence of the Industrial Revolution in Britain Financial and commercial affairs started developing in Europe since the 16th century and by the 18th century, Britain had surpassed some of the other leading European countries such as Holland, France, Portugal and Spain. As a result a wealthy class who could invest money on industries was created in that country. At the same time, there was a rapid growth in the population of Britain which resulted in a high demand for goods and in turn producing goods to meet the increasing demand became a challenge. This led to a development in the industrial sector. Further, there was an expansion of the knowledge of science as a result of the Renaissance that took place in Europe in 14th and 15th centuries. This knowledge was used in producing -1- new machinery. Minerals such as iron and steel that were necessary in producing machinery too were found in Britain. Not only that Britain easily found things like coal which played a major role in producing energy. Though there was a heavy population in contemporary kingdoms such as France, the development of trade in those countries was limited in comparison to Britain. But, Britain had obstructed the commercial relationships of its colonies with other countries in the world by imposing several commercial laws. Thus, Britain was able to maintain a high demand for their productions in its own colonies because they had no other choice than importing those productions from Britain. Some of those products with high demand in Britain were suitable for the production using machines. One example is the high demand placed upon British cotton clothes by India. Though there was an increasing demand for British cotton clothes, they did not have the ability to increase the production within a short period with the existing production methods. Because of the high demand that existed for the British productions, there arose a need in increasing the production in a short period. It is as a solution to this challenge that there was a rapid development in the industrial field. There were several changes in the agriculture field too in contemporary Britain. There, the rich landowners combined small pieces of land that belonged to poor farmers and made large farms. This is termed as the “encroaching movement.” As a result of this, the farmers who lost their land migrated to cities in search of jobs. The extra labour that was generated as a result was able to be used for the industrial development. Unlike in other countries, in Britain talented individuals had the opportunity to earn money irrespective of their social status. This free social environment in the attitudes supported the spread of novel ideas and it was conducive for the development of the industrial sector. Further, together with the development of the economy, the emergence of new banks and financial organizations that provided capital for the industries and businesses was seen. The political stability that was prevailing in Britain too helped the industrial revolution. The parliament provided the freedom, tax relief and support to engage in business activities for the economic development. Compared with the other countries in Europe, Britain had the most conducive environment for the industrial revolution. A number of features such as being a small island, ability to build a web of markets throughout the country, ability to -2- charge high prices for productions and London city being a centre that distributed raw materials, capital and products; helped Britain to surpass other countries in the industrial production field. 1.2. Rise of the Industrial Revolution The industrial revolution in Britain was based on three industries as given below.  Textile industry  Iron and steel industry  Coal industry The development that occurred in these fields resulted in the gradual progress in other fields such as transport, communication and agriculture. Textile Industry Textile producers in Britain faced a challenge of increasing their textile products to meet the high demand that came from their own colonies. Weaving clothes became a little faster with the invention of the flying shuttle by John K. in 1733. But the slowness in preparing threads needed in weaving clothes still remained a problem. According to the situation that was there at that time, threads produced by six thread makers per day were enough only for one weaver to work for one day. Therefore, there was some idea of increasing the pace of spinning. As a result of that enthusiasm, a person called James Hargreaves produced a machine called ‘Jenny’ in 1764 for cotton weaving. This machine was a manually operated one. Later in 1769, Richard Arkwright produced a more efficient, water powered spinning wheel. It was named as ‘water Fig 1.1 – The Jenny machine produced by James turbine’. Arkwright’s creation was an Hargreaves for spinning cotton in 1764 important production when compared to the other machines used for the same purpose in the past. But it was difficult to be used in houses because it was very big in size. On the other hand, because a fast tide of water was needed to run the machine, it could be used only in such places where there was a continuous supply of water. -3-  Samuel Crompton who used the functioning principles of Spinning Jenny and the Water Turbine produced a new machine called “Mule” around 1779. This helped to produce finer and stronger threads. Then around 1785, Edmund Cartwright found a way of running the ‘Mule’ by steam power. Thus, within a period of about 30 years new machines and novel technical methods were invented to make spinning cotton more efficient. Fig 1.2 –The water powered spinning machine Hence, there was a big revolution in produced by Richard Arkwright the weaving industry during a short period of time.  ACTIVITY 1 1. Make short questions regarding the section on textile industry. 2. Explain the industrial development in textile sector under the following areas. - Reasons for industrialization in textile sector - New productions of textile sector and their advantages Iron and Steel Industry Ore deposits are found in abundance in Britain. British people produced iron and steel even before the industrial revolution to make weapons, agricultural equipment and household tools. They used firewood to smelt ore for this purpose. It was difficult to meet the huge demand for iron and steel needed for the production of machinery that emerged as a result of the industrial revolution using firewood. Hence, alternative methods had to be looked for. In 1730 the method of smelting ore using coal was found by Abraham Darby. They produced molded iron in this method. In 1784 tempered iron could be produced with the invention of 'Roller' machine by Henri Cort. Henri Bessemer found a new method to produce steel by removing dirt from iron in 1856. The invention of open oven method in 1860, by developing the above mentioned method, enabled the production of high quality -4-  steel. Steel could be produced cheaply and quickly in this method. Making an electric oven to smelt ore by Wilhelm Siemens in 1870 helped the improvement of iron and steel industry. These mew creations paved the way for a rapid improvement in iron and steel industry. Fig 1.3 Henri Bessemer’s oven for producing steel  ACTIVITY 2 1. Prepare short questions from the section about iron and steel. 2. Explain the industrial development that took place in iron and steel industry under the following areas. - Reasons for the industrial development in iron and steel industry - New inventions in the above field and their advantages Coal Industry There are so many coal mines in Britain. South Wales, Yorkshire, Lancashire are some places where coal mines are situated. Coal was popular as a cheap and efficient fuel for smelting ore, running machines and household chores. Though the demand for coal increased with the industrial development, mining coal was difficult. Several new inventions were made in order to find solutions to the problems such as removing the water that gathered in the mine when it was dug deep, poisonous gases found in the depth, increasing heat and providing light to the depth. Thomas Newcomen invented a steam engine in 1735 to pump water of the mines and artificially cool the air. Yet, it was inefficient and could not be used in other industries too. Therefore, James Watt developed this to a new steam engine in 1736. It was an efficient engine that could be used in many industries. -5-  Piston Cylinder Pump Fig 1.4 - A picture of the steam engine Fig 1.5 – Steam engine produced made by Thomas Newcomen by James Watt The problem of providing light to the mines too was solved when Humphry Davy produced the safety lamp in 1812. In 1839, a method was found to take coal out of the mines using iron cables instead of the old method of taking them out by women and children using copper cables. The development of the coal industry resulted in several by products. Tar obtained by burning coal was used in road construction. Paints that were necessary in dyeing clothes too were made with the help of coal. It was further used to produce medicine, perfumes, oil and fertilizers. Fig 1.6 – The way coal was taken out of mines by women and children -6-   ACTIVITY 3 Explain the development of the coal industry under the following headings. 1.Reasons for the industrial development in the coal industry. 2.Advantages of the new inventions of the coal industry. Fig 1.7 – Safety lamp produced by Humphry Davy Expansion of the Industrial Revolution The industrial revolution that took place in the fields of textile, coal and iron industries in Britain soon spread into the other fields also. When the nature of this expansion is considered, two types of expansions can be identified as expansion of industrial revolution to other fields and expansion of industrial revolution to other countries. 1. Expansion to other fields The new knowledge that emerged in relation to industrial and technological fields as a result of industrial revolution did not limit itself to industries and productions. It spread to the other fields too. Fields like transport, communication and agriculture too had rapid development under the influence of the industrial revolution.  Expansion of transportation Many changes took place in the transport sector because of the influence of the industrial revolution. With the development of the industrial sector, a necessity of developing a road system arose for transporting raw materials to factories and transporting products to markets. Therefore in 1811, John McAdam introduced a new way of making roads. It is called “the Macadam Method.” -7-  Macadam Method Macadam method means spreading small pieces of granite on a strong foundation of bigger stones and soil and making roads by pounding and levelling them. Even the vehicles that carry heavy loads of goods and passengers could be driven fast and easily on these roads. Therefore, hundreds of miles of such roads were built in Britain and Scotland within a short period. Machines and engines used for transport too developed with the development of roads. The production of the steam engine by George Stephenson in 1814 became a landmark in the industrial revolution. As a result, trains could be used to transport coal and other products. The time spent for transport could be minimized by transporting products from factories to markets and transportation cost was reduced by being able to transport heavy loads of goods at a time. It is believed that George Stephenson who invented the locomotive engine was not able to read and write till he was 17 years old. Fig 1.9 The steam engine invented by George Fig 1.8 George Stephenson Stephenson The development that took place in land transport as a result of the industrial revolution, affected the naval and water transport too. -8- In 1807, an American called Robert Fulton produced the steamboat. Henry Bell produced the steam ship in 1811 for passenger transport. It used firewood as fuel at the beginning and later coal. The production of motor car in 1885 by the German, Daimler and the production of the aeroplane by Wright brothers in 1903, made a huge change in the transport system. Thus, as a result of the expansion of the industrial revolution, there was a rapid change in all forms of transport; land, water and air transport. Fig 1.10 Daimler’s motor car Fig 1.11 Aeroplane produced by Wright brothers  Expansion of Communication Sector There was a rapid development in communication sector too in parallel to the development in transport. The postal service that existed in Britain up to this was very costly. A need arose to exchange letters quickly for a cheaper price in a shorter time for business activities. Fig 1.12 – Several experiments to develop communication between two distanced places using electronic methods were conducted from the beginning of the 19th century. As a result of this, an apparatus was produced to communicate using human voice, between two places through cables in 1876. It is called the ‘telephone’. It was produced by Alexander Graham Bell. -9- A new postal service which was called ‘Penny Postal Service’ was started for this in 1840. A letter could be sent to any corner of the country by spending just a penny (pence) through this. There arose another need for sending messages between two places more quickly than sending letters with the rapid development of industrial and transport sector. As a result of the experiments conducted for this, Samuel Morse was able to start telegraph service in 1844. Sending messages between two places through a cable was started in this method using symbols. An immense change took place in the communication sector in 1895 when Guglielmo Marconi invented the method of sending messages through radio signals and then John Logie Baird invented the television. These two inventions supported not only the development of communication but also the development of trade and commerce including other economic activities. Fig. 1.13 John Logie Baird and Fig 1.14 Marconi’s radio the television he invented  Expansion of Agriculture There was a rapid development in agriculture in parallel to the industrial revolution. Several factors that affected this can be identified as;  Beginning of mega farms  Changing of crops  Using new technology in animal husbandry  Using new agricultural methods and equipment - 10 - The establishment of factories expanded with the industrialization attracting more people to cities. This left their land in villages uncultivated. The rest of the minor proprietors had to give up their lands due to various reasons. Such small lands given up thus and the lands taken over from other farmers were combined together to make mega farms. Agriculture developed as a result of cultivating these lands which came under the encroaching movement. Change of crops in cultivation helped to reduce spreading of diseases and to increase productivity. Jethro Tull introduced the line sowing method with horse tethered ploughs. This method helped to reduce the number of seeds needed for sowing and increase productivity. Fig 1.15 Cultivation using change of crops At the same time, animal products increased due to the new technological methods used in animal husbandry. One example is the findings regarding breeding of sheep made by Robert Bakewell. The invention of efficient equipment that came with the industrial revolution altered the field of agriculture completely. Machines were produced to clear forests, prepare the land and produce seeds. Further, paying attention on producing manure to achieve more productivity in agriculture is an important move. As a result of experiments done in this field, a type of manure called ‘Guano Fertilizers’ was produced in Africa for the first time in 1800. Then it was produced in America also. After some time chemical fertilizers and agro chemicals were produced. Agricultural and animal products could be sold at a cheaper price because they could be produced with less expenditure owing to the store facilities and modern transport methods that came as a result of the industrial revolution. As a result, there was a high demand for agro products. - 11 - 2. Expansion to other countries The industrial revolution that began in Britain spread to the countries in the European continent also within a short period of time. Later it went to Asian, American and African continents also. There were several reasons for the spread of the industrial revolution to other countries in the 19th century. Increase in demand for goods that came as a result of rapid increase in world population Development of travel and transport in Europe Discovery of coal in France and Germany As a result, other countries in the world too started to speed up their production using machines in the same way England did. Industrial centres emerged in areas that were situated close to markets and where raw materials were found in abundance in Germany and France. Germany that was able to mark an increased industrial development, had become a powerful country at the beginning of World War I. Then the industrial revolution spread to other European countries like France, Belgium, Austria, Hungary and Prussia. The Austrian empire built roads to a length of 30000 miles and Belgium doubled the length of its roads at the same time. Then, every country started laying railways. The effects of the industrial revolution were felt in states in America that existed as colonies of Britain as well. There was a rapid industrial development after independence in that country. Japan was an Asian country which had an enormous development in the industrial sector during the latter half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the 20th century. Japan has become a country that holds a competitive place among the countries that have obtained a rapid development in science and technological fields by following the western methods and models. The influence of the industrial revolution was greatly felt in many Asian countries including China, India and Sri Lanka by the 20th century. Thus the world became a global village because of the industrial revolution that spread to the other countries in the world and the rapid development it created in transport and communication fields. - 12 - Results of the Industrial Revolution Broad changes occurred in political, social and economic sectors in many countries due to the industrial revolution that took place everywhere in the world. These results had both good and bad characteristics.  Changes in the Political Field The industrial revolution resulted in a wealthy class that invested money for profit and an underprivileged class that survived by selling labour. The rich exploited the labour of the underprivileged in their businesses and earned a huge profit. Yet the living conditions of the labourers who worked in factories were very poor. Because of this suppression there were many clashes between the rich and the poor including the emergence of labour unions, boycotts, struggles for rights, etc. This situation ended in the expansion of political beliefs such as socialism and liberalism. Fig 1.16 - A struggle for rights by labourers Adam Smith presented the concept called “laissez-faire” which led to the expansion of capitalism throughout the world. Laissez-faire means reducing the government involvement and giving more allowance for private sector involvement in the economic matters. At the same time, as the industrialization spread throughout Europe, there arose a need for getting raw materials for a cheaper price and selling the products at a higher prices. Therefore, the European countries had to compete - 13 - for tightening their political grasp in the colonies. This new imperialism which came after 1850 is called neo-imperialism. This struggle of European countries to capture new colonies became a major factor that led to World War I.  Changes in the Economic Sector One change that took place in the industrial revolution is the expansion of industrial products and commercial activities taking the first place in the economy. Accordingly, a wealthy class that owned factories and a class of business people gradually developed. Farmers who owned small lands had to come to cities and join these factories as they could not carry on working in their farms. Because of that, the self-sufficient economy failed and emerged a working class that worked for a salary. Thus, the agro-economic system broke down and the import-export economy came forward. Agricultural production too became industrialized and a number of food types came to markets. As a result, both local and foreign businessess developed in European countries and Asian, African and Latin American countries which were the colonies of European countries. In the same way, the capitalist economic system too spread rapidly around the globe. Private entrepreneurs could not afford to invest money on these expanded businesses individually. So, several entrepreneurs got together and formed combined business companies. These companies expanded their commercial activities into Asian, African and Latin American countries with the help of their governments to achieve their targets. At first, these trade companies consisted of local businessmen only. Yet, towards the first part of the 19th century, these companies became multi-national companies. These companies that were engaged in production of goods and buying and selling simultaneously were engaged in monetary and banking activities. This made transactions and loan facilities easy for the entrepreneurs.  Impact on the Society The society was influenced both positively and negatively due to the industrial revolution. Many new cities were created as a result of the industrialization and the lives of people who lived there were greatly affected. People could afford to buy those items that were produced in bulk in the factories. At the same time these factories generated a lot of new job opportunities. As a result people could enjoy better living conditions. - 14 - The number of cities and the size of cities in Europe increased very fast as a result of the industrialization. The only outcome of them was that they became unbearably populated. Yet, the development of basic facilities of these cities came about very slowly. For an example, though in Vienna, within 20 years before 1847 the population increase is 20%, building houses increased in 11.5% only. In many countries of the world Fig 1.17 – Child labourers who worked in new cities emerged as a result of factories during the industrial revolution the industrialization and villagers began to migrate to these cities. The increasing number of job opportunities in cities that emerged due to mega industries sped up the urbanization. One major social outcome of the industrialization is the formation of a classed society. By the 20th century economic activities of all European countries were governed by the class of rich factory owners. This rich class consisted of two major fractions. Aristocrats who owned lands The other class consisted of middle class business owners, small scale traders, factory owners, bankers, contractors, engineers and lawyers, etc. They employed labourers for less wages and earned heavy profit through that. People in the rich class developed comparatively better living conditions and spent more comfortable and enjoyable lives. But, the living conditions of the working class people were in a very poor state. The husband and wife both in the same family had to work in order to survive and sometimes they had to send their children too to work. They had to suffer a - 15 - lot in these factories working for 12 -14 hours and the jobs they had to do were really tormenting. Women and children had to work in factories where there were no facilities and protection. Labourers had to reside close to the factories in industrialized cities. They had to live in shanties or lined houses which did not have minimum sanitary facilities. All members of the family had to live in one room. Thus, what the underprivileged class which was the majority of the society received were unfavourable living conditions, poverty and a meagre salary. Under these adverse circumstances drunkenness and other abuses were inevitable. Many countries paid their attention to resolving these social disparities by 18th and 19th centuries. At the same time labourers came together as unions and started struggling to get their salary increased, the number of working hours reduced and sanitary and other facilities increased. Therefore, every government had to impose laws for the social and economic welfare of the working class. Fig 1.18 A factory emitting poisonous gases to the environment Another bad effect of the industrial revolution is the environmental pollution. Water sources got contaminated due to the addition of waste materials to water sources by factories and the fumes released by factories became harmful for the health of the people. Further, the accumulation of poisonous gases in the atmosphere threatened the existence of human beings. - 16 -   ACTIVITY 4 1. Conduct a debate on good and bad effects of the industrial revolution. 2. Give answers to the following questions. I. Write three changes that took place in the political field due to the industrial revolution. II. Write three changes that took place in the economic sector. III. Write three changes that took place in the society. 1.3. Effects of the Industrial Revolution on Sri Lanka How the industrial revolution that started in Britain spread throughout the world within a short time has been explained above. Although the industrialization that took place in Britain and other European countries did not take place in Sri Lanka in the 19th century, the effects of the industrial revolution could be identified from Sri Lanka too. The major reason for that is, Sri Lanka being a colony of Britain when industrial revolution started. British people came to Sri Lanka and started mega scale cultivations. Many factories were started in connection to thus started cultivations such as tea, coconut, rubber and machines were imported from Britain to be used in those factories. Important incidents of this period: Starting of a mill to pound coffee by the governor, Fredric North in 1804 AD Using machines for activities of tea factories such as drying, grading and exporting Using machines to prepare rubber for exporting Introduction of Macadam method to build roads in 1885 There was a need for manpower for the estates and factories and the labour class was formed by the people who worked there for salary. Landowners and factory owners became the affluent class and they organized themselves separately as a wealthy, educated middle class. The capitalist economic system grew in Sri Lanka and import and export trade held a prominent place. The necessity of a banking system was felt in order to handle financial transactions between countries in import and export. So, banks were started in Sri Lanka. - 17 - The transport system had to be developed in order to carry the estate products to trade centres and the harbour in Colombo and supply necessities to estates. Up to this time transportation was done by means of carts. Because it was not so efficient, roads and railways were introduced. The Colombo - Kandy road was constructed during the time of the governor, Edward Barns. Thereafter, roads to Kandy were built from Kurunegala and Dambulla. After that, the system of constructing roads using stones and tar was started. Further, the wood bridges that existed over water ways were replaced by iron bridges. The governor, Henry Ward started laying railways. The construction of the Kandy railway was started in 1858 and was completed in 1863. In August 1867, a train service was started from Colombo to Kandy for the first time. After that it was extended from Peradeniya to Nawalapitiya in 1871 and up to Bandarawela in 1899. With the development of roads and transportation, trade centres were started and they expanded to cities. Gampola, Badulla, Ratnapura and Matale are such cities beyond Colombo that were populated during this time. Sending messages was done through a messenger up to this time. An official postal system had been started by 1815 connecting the cities like Colombo, Trincomalee, Galle, Kandy and Jaffna. This was carried out using chariots. Thus, running chariots was started for the first time in Asia, in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lanka’s first postal stamp was issued in 1857. By 1903, 340 post offices had been opened around the country. The telegram service was started in 1858.  ACTIVITY 5 Prepare an article on ‘How Industrial Revolution affected Sri Lanka’ discussing the following points. Expansion of estate cultivation and mega scale factories Wealthy class that owned estates and the working class Postal service and the printing industry Construction of roads - 18 -