Industrial Revolution

1800’s

Causes of the Industrial Revolution

• Agricultural Revolution • Cottage Industry• Advanced new technologies • Factory System• Great Britain had major factors of production

(land, labor and capital)

Agricultural Revolution

• Enclosure Movement • Mechanization• Four field crop-rotation• Selective breeding

Cottage Industry • An industry where the creation of products

and services is home-based, rather than factory-based. People then sold their products to larger industries.

• Allowed families to work together, at home.

Advanced New Technologies

• Water Wheels• Steam Power• Combustible engine • Cotton Gin• Seed Drill • Spinning Jenny• Advanced techniques in

iron smelting – creates steel

Effects of the Factory System

Before the Factory System • Goods were produced in

the home (cottage industry)• Work required a wide range

of skills• Children did chores at home

with family• Families worked directly

with merchants• Few people were members

of the middle class

After the Factory System • Goods were produced away

from home in factories• Work required a few easily

learned skills• Children were employed in

large numbers in factories• Workers dealt with managers

and, sometimes, factory owners

• More people joined the middle class

Why did the Industrial Revolution start in Great Britain?

• Land, Labor and Capital = Factors of Production • Exploration and colonialism (land)– Great Nature resources

• Coal deposits

• Population boom (labor)– Due to the Columbian exchange and earlier Agricultural

Revolution • Growth of private investment (capital)• Political stability– Allows for the infrastructure of the country to grow- for

example railroads to move goods

Effects of Industrialization on women• From Cottage Industry to Factory Work

– Earned low wages in low-skills jobs– Separated from their families– No real improvement in their status

• Other Working-class Women– Found jobs as cooks, maids, and child-care workers because more

families could afford to hire them– Found some new educational and cultural opportunities in cities– Overall improvement for many women

• Middle-Class Women – Freed from chores because many could afford to hire help– Began to attend college and get jobs as teachers and nurses– Those who did not work often criticized by outside people who said

that they should not work outside of the home– Most affected by idea of separate spheres

Effects of Industrialization on Children

• Children who worked in factories:– Worked upwards of 12-15 hours a day, in hot and

unsafe conditions.– Did not attend school – could not read and write – Had very little family interaction – Paid less than adults– Suffered long term health side effects