Changes During Industrial Revolution In Britain (27-46) Flashcards
Discuss the wealth from the slave trade (cause of the changes during the industrial revolution in Britain)
- merchants became wealthy because of Atlantic slave trade.
- they made profits by brining raw materials made by slaves (sugar and cotton)
- used money to build factories and made new machinery
- cause of industrial revolution
~CHANGES IN FARMING:
Farmers (B) produce more food by using better farming methods on large commercial farms = population grew. Poor people who can’t afford farming, move to cities to find jobs.
~NATURAL RESOURCES:
B large amounts of coal and iron ore. Also had rivers to transport goods. B is flat so canals built to link rivers. B long coastline with many harbours that made trade easier.
-CHANGES IN TECHNOLOGY:
Machines invented to do work people did by hand. Machines were faster, cheaper, more accurate and stronger. They used new forms of power (steam, gas, oil, electricity). Machines put in factories where manufactured goods were made. People from countryside moved to towns to work in factories.
~NEW FORMS OF TRANSPORTATION:
Steam locomotives invented to pull trucks and wagons on rails. This was cheaper and faster than by road. Railways all over B. System of canals built to transport heavy goods. Iron used to build stronger bridges and buildings. Roads with hard surfaces built to replace uneven and muddy roads. New transport made it easier to transport: raw materials (coal and iron)
Discuss the economy before the industrial revolution
Before IR, most people in B lived in countryside or villages. They grew food on strips of land and kept few animals. Economy in B was based on agriculture. People made goods (cloth) by hand in homes or workshops. These were called cottage industries. These goods sold at markets. Poor roads= transport by foot, horseback or animal drawn carts. Transport expensive=most people lived in hometowns forever.
Discuss what the industrial revolution was
Machines did work originally done by hand. Machines too large to fit in homes, factories were built. Factories made more goods so trade grew. Towns grew around factories (often near mines that produced coal/iron ore, or near river/canals for transport). Railways built to link towns. More people in towns now than on land. Economy now based on industry.
Discuss social changes during industrial revolution
IR changed the way people lived and worked.
Discuss urbanization and changing living conditions
Towns grew as more people wanted to find jobs (urbanization). New houses built quick and cheap. Houses close together, damp, dark, and unhealthy. Few had running water, proper toilets or windows. Life difficult in industrial towns. Rubbish=left to rot in streets, air filled with smoke. Water supplies=polluted. Diseases spread and thousands died in epidemics. 20% of children died before 5. There was unemployment and crime in industrial cities.
Discuss the working conditions and child workers
Start of IR, most people worked in coal mines and textile mills. Working conditions were unhealthy and dangerous (no safety rules, moving parts of machines were not covered) = accidents happened, clothes, hair, legs and arms were caught in machines. Workers worked up to 16 hrs a day. They were strictly controlled and had to work at same speed as machines. Many got ill because of conditions and died young. Wages were low. All members of family had to work to survive. Young children worked long hours, six days a week. Many worked in dark tunnels in mines.
Discuss labour, resistance, the trade union movement and working class organizations.
At first workers had no rights or protection. Employers could treat them how they wanted. If workers protested, their leaders would be arrested and jailed. Workers had no political rights and did not have the vote. Gov usually supported employers, and used police or army to crush protests. When the could, workers resisted bad treatment
Discuss the swing riots(agriculture) and the Luddites (industry)
SWING RIOTS:
First resistance from farm workers. They hated new threshing machines, which they thought took their jobs. 1830- groups of farm workers (England) attacked these machines and set barns/haystacks on fire. Some sent letters to farm owners to threaten to act more violently if owners didn’t get rid of machines and pay workers more. These letters signed by ‘Captain Swing’(not real). protestors were called swing riots. Over 1000 attacks took place. Gov stopped attacks: 19 people sentenced to death, 700 sent to prison, 500 sent to Australia (convicts)
LUDDITES:
Workers in factories hated machines. Machines didn’t get tired and worked faster than workers=many workers lost jobs. Those who didn’t had to keep same pace as machines. Workers thought the could break machines and end use of machines. They were known as Luddites(Ned Ludd). Leaders arrested and sentenced to death. Other Luddites sent to Australia prison.
Discuss the grand national consolidated trade union.
Trade unions struggled to organize workers. Most workers were isolated in individual factories, many afraid of losing jobs, so too scared to challenge employers. Some Employers were concerned of how workers were treated. One of these were Robert Owen. He came from poor family, left school at 10. At 30 he owned one of biggest cotton mills in B. Treated workers well, built better houses for workers and schools for their children, and provided free medical care. He hope other factory owners would do same, but few did. He thought working conditions would improve if trade unions acted together. 1833-he formed GNCTU (included workers from farms, factories and mines). Gov thought it would get out of control, so they arrested 6 workers and sentenced to work as convicts in Australia. They were known as Tolpuddle Martyrs. Robert Owen lead a protest of 30000 workers, gov refused their petition. After this, GNCTU grew weaker.
Changes during the industrial revolution in Britain
- started in B 200yrs ago.
- changed: way things were made, and how people lived. Products started being mass produced, more people in cities, transport and communication improved.
- start of modern world.
Discuss increased power and wealth of Britain and Western European economies
For long, B was leading industrial economy and became wealthy. B was able to increase its power and wealth by getting more control over countries. These countries became colonies, which made up British empire. Raw materials from colonies made into manufactured goods in B factories. These goods were sold, and B made profit. At first, other E countries could not compare with B. They started copying B technology, and build factories. They started competing with B, to take over its colonies, to prove raw materials for their factories and markets for manufactured goods. B and Western Europe became wealthiest in world.
