Changes in the economy (1783-1812) Flashcards
What did Dr. Price say about the population?
- population was decreasing as Britain was ‘weak’ after losing American War of Independence
What did Thomas Malthus say about the population?
- increasing
- the population would outstrip the production of food = major social problems
What did Arthur Young say about the population?
- supporter of the common view
- population increasing due to stable economy
What did the 1801 census reveal?
- population was increasing
- population 10.5 mn
What was in issue with the 1801 census?
- it isn’t very reliable but it is still a good source
What were causes of the population increase?
- increased in birth rate, fall in death rate
- agricultural improvements
- fewer infant mortalities
- decrease in epidemic diseases
What was the impact of industrialisation on the life cycle of young men?
- better jobs and wages = could afford to live alone, marry and have children
- longer working hours = more likely to be exploited
What was the cotton industry like in 1783?
- still new
- wool and linen main fabric
- cottage industries; inefficient
What were causes of change in the cotton industry?
- increased import of cotton due to slave trade
- population increase = increased demand for clothing
- technological innovations
- fast flowing rivers = powered machinery and provided proximity to ports for trade
What were the technological innovations in the cotton industry?
- Arkwright’s water frame (1769)
- Crompton’s Mule (1779)
- Cartwright’s Power Loom (1789)
- Hargreave’s Spinning Jenny
What was the cotton industry like in 1812? What was a limitation?
- booming
- Horrock’s set up a successful spinning mill
- hand loom weavers left behind by technological innovations/ Cartwright (LIMITATION)
- canal systems to connect cotton factories to ports and towns
What was iron and coal like in 1783?
- wood was the main source of fuel, used for smelting iron
- the demand for iron and coal began to increase/ coal began to replace wood as it was cheaper and more efficient
What were the causes of change in the iron and coal industries?
- development in cotton and transport industry
- Britain’s abundance of iron and coal ores
What was the iron and coal industries like in 1812?
- industry became concentrated in 4 pockets
- Wilkinson set up large scale ironworks to meet the increasing demand of industrialisation
- coal mined in huge quantities to power steam engines
What were the 4 pockets where iron and coal developed?
- Black Country
- South Wales
- South Yorkshire
- Clydeside
