Why and how was Britain transformed by the industrial revolution

Question 1

Origins of the industrial revolution

Answer 1

The Industrial Revolution, the wave of technological, economic and social changes that helped produce what we know as modern Europe, arose among back-country English cottage craftspeople in the early 1700s and fundamentally restructured industry.

Question 2

Overview of changes 1750-1900

Answer 2

In 1750 the
Triangular Trade
in enslaved Africans was at its height. Sugar, tobacco and cotton plantations in the Caribbean and North America were bringing great profits to Britain’s businesses and banks. Some of these profits were invested in the
entrepreneurs
and inventors of the
Industrial Revolution

Question 3

work in factories

Answer 3

Long hours: Workers typically had shifts of 12-16 hours with few breaks or days off.

Low wages: Due to high competition for jobs, wages were often low.

Child labor: Children were employed in factories.

Physical discipline: Harsh treatment by factory owners.
Dangerous conditions: Unsafe work environments.

The factory system during the Industrial Revolution revolutionized manufacturing by consolidating machinery, skilled workers, and production processes under one roof.

Question 4

life in industrial cities

Answer 4

This shift led to the rise of the working class and a significant increase in production capabilities, making goods more accessible and affordable.

Simultaneously, the revolution catalyzed global trade expansion. Goods produced in the factories of Europe and North America found their way to distant markets, creating a more interconnected world economy.

This era also saw the birth of capitalism as a dominant economic system, with individuals and companies accumulating wealth through investment and trade.

Question 5

health in Victorian Britain

Answer 5

specifically in London, an increasing amount of worrisome diseases like cholera, influenza, typhus, typhoid, and tuberculosis emerged in waves.

Question 6

Politics and reform

Answer 6

Introduction: social and political reforms
During the Industrial Revolution more and more people moved from rural areas to towns and cities in order to work in factories.

These changes to living and working led to demands for social and political reform.