Overview
The lecture details the origins, technological advancements, and global spread of the Industrial Revolution, highlighting its transformative effects on industry, society, and the global economy.
Origins and Key Drivers
- The Industrial Revolution began in the UK between 1760 and 1840, shifting from manual to machine-based manufacturing.
- Key factors: steam power, iron production, and coal mining.
- Britain's access to raw materials, cheap labor, and supportive financial systems spurred growth.
Major Technological Advances
- Steam engines, initially used to pump water from mines, revolutionized transport and manufacturing.
- Machine tools and improved iron production (e.g., puddling, hot blast) enabled mass production.
- Railroads, steamboats, and steamships dramatically reduced travel and transport times.
Textile Industry Innovations
- The textile industry was first to adopt mechanized manufacturing, with inventions like the flying shuttle, spinning jenny, water frame, and power loom.
- Key figures: John Kay, James Hargreaves, Richard Arkwright, Samuel Crompton, Edmund Cartwright.
- Cotton gin by Eli Whitney increased cotton processing efficiency.
Other Industrial Sectors
- Chemical industry advanced with mass production of sulfuric acid and alkali.
- Innovations in cement, glass, gas lighting, and paper manufacturing transformed construction and daily life.
- Agricultural advancements: seed drill, threshing machine, and improved ploughs increased productivity.
Transportation Revolution
- Canals, improved roads, and early railways expanded market access and reduced costs.
- Engineers like John McAdam and Thomas Telford advanced road construction.
Social and Economic Effects
- Factory system replaced cottage industries, often reducing the standard of living for workers initially.
- Urbanization led to poor living conditions, but reforms improved hygiene and wages over time.
- The Industrial Revolution increased average income and population growth.
Global Spread
- Industrialization spread to Belgium, France, Germany, Sweden, USA, and Japan, each adapting innovations to local needs.
- The USA focused on interchangeable parts and mechanized mills; Germany excelled in chemicals; Japan's Meiji reforms accelerated modernization.
Political and Ideological Impacts
- Industrialization contributed to economic systems like capitalism and socialism.
- Karl Marx theorized class divisions arising from factory-based industry: bourgeoisie (owners) vs. proletariat (workers).
Key Terms & Definitions
- Industrial Revolution — the shift to machine-based manufacturing from manual production.
- Steam Engine — engine using steam to generate power, key in industry and transport.
- Puddling Process — method of refining iron to make wrought iron.
- Spinning Jenny — multi-spindle spinning frame revolutionizing yarn production.
- Power Loom — mechanized loom increasing weaving efficiency.
- Cottage Industry — home-based small-scale manufacturing.
- Capitalism — economic system based on private ownership and profit.
- Socialism — system where production means are collectively owned.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review key inventions and inventors in the textile and iron industries.
- Memorize major technological and social developments tied to the Industrial Revolution.
- Study the causes and consequences of industrialization for future discussion or exams.