The growth of cotton and other industries Flashcards
(31 cards)
What was a magnate?
A person of rank, wealth or power
What did john H Plumb say about the development of the cotton industry?
Pockets of old-fashioned industrial methods still lingered alongside the new. For every one succesful capitalist, there were 50 smaller masters. Great fortunes were made by industrialists who adopted most completely the new methods, and this was obvious to their contemporaries
How are the growth of the cotton industry and the slave trade linked?
The increased production of cotton clothing was only possible because of the vast numbers of slaves, transported from Africa, who worked on cotton plantations in the British West Indies
What was the cottage industry?
The domestic production of cotton
What was the problem with the cottage industry?
Processes were slow and lacked quality control, and production was limited, which allowed little prospect of expansion
Wich two things chaned the cotton industry?
- The incresed import of raw cotton
- The population rise meant an increase in demand for clothing and textiles
Why was cotton clothing better than linen and wool garments?
It was cheaper, more comfortable and easier to wash
In which two areas did cotton production take off and why?
Lancashire and Lanarkshire as there were fast flowing rivers from which power could be harnessed to turn machines, and they were close to major sea ports in Liverpool and Glasgow
What was the relevance of the canal system to the cotton industry?
Canals connected cotton factories to the ports and other towns for redistribution
Which invention heralded the start of the factory system and revolutionised the industry?
The development of Arkwright’s water frame in 1769
What was Samuel Crompton’s Mule?
Invented in 1779. It was a cross between the water frame and Hargreaves’ spinning jenny. It produced high quality yarn that was strong and fine
What was the problem with the mechanisation of the spinning process, and how was this rectified?
It left the weaving process behind, and the industry could not function efficiently while this inbalance persisted. In 1789, Catwright designed a power loom that was opearted by steam power, which allowed the cotton industry to become fully mechanised and a balance to be established between spinning and weaving
Define spinning
The process that converts raw cotton to yarn
Define weaving
The process of using yarn to create cloth
What did the development of the cotton industry give a vital boost to?
The iron industry, as new cotton mills were built to accommodate larger and more sophisticated machines, and massive water wheels were designed to generate the power to run them, demand for iron increased`
What happened to the output of pig iron between 1788-1804?
Rose from 68,000 tons to 250,000 tons
Why were iron foundries built on the edge of coal fields?
To access their essential source of fuel cheaply and easily
Why did the development of the cotton and iron industries depend on coal?
Coal replaced wood as the fuel in iron smelting and was mined in huge quantities to provde the fuel to power steam engines in the factories. Coal became essential to the process of industrialisation as it provided cheap fuel for any manufacturing processes that required heat. Output rose form an estimated 7,000,000 tonnes in the 1780s to around 14,000,000 tonnes by 1812
Why were canals essential for continued industrial growth?
They were an efficient means of transporting raw materials to factories and maufactured goods to a wide market
Which decade saw the height of the ‘canal era’
1780s
What were the advantages of canals?
- Heavy and bulky goods could be transported more chepaly and easily than by road or river
- They allowed new areas to be opened up
- Allowed industrial centres to be linked to raw materials, markets and sea ports
- Canal companies provided attractive investment opportunities
State the shortcomings of their canals?
- They were difficult and expensive to construct
- They could only follow limited routes
- They froze up in the winter and were slow to operate
- The canal era was short lived and quickly superseded by the railway age in the early 19th century
Describe James Watt
One of the most brilliant technological innovators of this period. Developed ideas for a new, more efficient, machine while repairing an early steam engine. It took 20 years and near bankrupcy for him to find commercial success through his partnership with Boulton
What problems was the steam engine originally invented to tackle?
Haulage and flooding in coal mines
