Industrial revolution

The Industrial Revolution began in England in the early 18th century for
the following reasons:

1. England had experienced all of the forerunners of industrialization in the previous century: an agricultural revolution, cottage industry, and an expanded commercial revolution. These developments had built surplus capital and an infrastructure
(shipping, banking, insurance, joint stock companies). 2. England already had a handcraft textile industry using wool, but with the availability of cotton from overseas markets as an alternative raw material. 3. The scientific revolution in England prepared the way for new inventions to be applied to industry. 4. A spreading shortage of wood (used for energy, for shipbuilding and
construction) stimulated a search for alternatives. 5. England was rich in supplies of coal for energy and iron for construction. 6. England had a long, irregular coastline with many rivers and natural
harbors which provided easy transportation by water to many areas. 7. England's population grew rapidly in the 18th century, providing a labor
force for industry. A revolution in agriculture in the 1700s created conditions that favored the Industrial Revolution.Farmers began growing new crops and using new technology such as the seed drill and the iron plow. Increased food production improved people's diet and health, which in turn contributed to rapid population growth. Better farming methods meant that fewer people were needed to farm. As a result, unemployed farmers formed a large new
The early spinning machine labor force. The factory system. The Industrial Revolution began in the textile industry, where a series of inventions created new demands for laborers. Between 1733 and 1793, inventors produced new machines, such as the flying shuttle, the spinning jenny, and a water-powered loom, that speeded up the spinning and weaving of wool and cotton. Many new machines were


powered by running water, so inventors built spinning mills near rivers and hired many workers to run the machines. The new machines led to the growth of the factory system, which brought workers and machines together in one place to manufacture goods. By the late 1700s, steam began to replace water as a source of power. Inventors such as Thomas Newcomen and James Watt improved the steam-powered engine. Steam engines gave a boost to two other industries that were essential to the Industrial Revolution&emdash;coal and iron.

New processes were developed to produce stronger iron. In the mid-1800s, Henry Bessemer developed a process to improve the production of steel, a mixture of iron and other materials. Steel triggered the growth of still other industries. Improvements in transportation and communication. During the Industrial Revolution, advances were made in transportation and communication. In Britain, roads made of longer-lasting surfaces and canals connected all parts of the nation. A mining engineer, George Stephenson, developed the first steam-powered locomotive, opening the way for the building of railroads. Railroads and steam-powered ships improved transportation around the world. In 1837, an American inventor, Samuel F.B. Morse, devised the telegraph, which revolutionized communications.
Why Britain took the lead. Great Britain enjoyed many advantages that helped it take the lead in the Industrial Revolution. It had plentiful iron and coal resources and a good transportation system. It was a leading commercial power so merchants had the capital to invest in new enterprises. It had colonies that supplied raw materials and bought finished goods. The British government encouraged improvements in transportation and used its navy~ to protect British trade. Finally, the British accepted the idea that people could move ahead in society by hard work and talent.
The Industrial Revolution Spreads.
After the 1850s, the Industrial Revolution entered a new phase as Belgium, France, Germany, the United States, and later Japan industrialized rapidly. The French government supported projects to improve transportation. After Germany became unified in the 1870s, its industries forged ahead.
The United States used its vast natural resources as well as capital from European investors to build railroads and set up iron and steel industries. By the 1890s, the United States had overtaken Great Britain as the world's leading industrial nation. The nations of southern and eastern Europe, however, remained largely agricultural.

The problem of the energy:

The shortage of trees for lumber had led to the use of coal for heating, but coal mines constantly flooded. Newcomen's steam engine, invented in 1705, was an inefficient but acceptable method of pumping water out of the mines. It could not, however, generate power. The new textile machines could be driven by water power, but that would
have set severe limits to the available locations. Furthermore, lack of
lumber threatened to cut short the industrial growth.

The iron industry consumed large quantities of lumber to produce charcoal, needed for production of pig iron. The iron industry was coming to a halt. In the early 1760's through the 1780's, James Watt improved the design of the steam engine so that it could generate power. This was the most important of all the inventions of the time because it enabled coal to be burned to drive machinery. Steam-driven bellows enabled coke (produced from coal) to be burned in a blast furnace rather than charcoal. In the 1780's Henry Cort developed the puddling furnace, and steam-powered rolling mills. These developments revitalized the iron industry. All of the above developments were to change the source of energy from
wood to coal, and the preferred construction material from wood to iron. These are hallmarks of industrialization. The problem of transportation. The process would nevertheless have stagnated if there had not been a
revolution in transportation. Iron rails were developed for coal carts to be hauled to nearby water transport. The combination of iron rails and the steam engine to transport people and goods was the railroad. This was the greatest achievement in transportation since ancient times. Once accepted, it brought great numbers of consumers within reach of the growing volume of goods being produced. It made a market economy possible. Industrial development on the continent lagged behind England for at least a generation. The separation of England from the Continent by the Napoleonic Wars delayed the spread of English technology. Eventually, industrialization spread, first to the lowlands and the northeastern United States, then eastward and southward across Europe and westward across North America. For per-capita levels of industrialization during the 19th Century.
When it did come, English skilled technicians were much in demand and paid high wages. Governments played a more prominent role on the continent, particularly in the financing of railroads. These were the most visual evidence of industrialization, but required large amounts of capital.