Industrial Revolution Essays

Submitted By Destany-Martin
Words: 1240
Pages: 5
Open Document
Destany Martin
AP European History
Mr. O
1/4/15

Understanding the Industrial Revolution

The industrial revolution was a time of great change in the way people lived. The word revolution means change and from this we know that there was a large change to industry and society. The revolution began in the 18th and 19th century and consisted of factories replacing machines for hand labor. It is very important to know the causes of the industrial revolution, then it becomes possible to adequately evaluate the industrial revolution itself. The inventions, social classes, and working conditions are all among things that hold importance when discussing the industrial revolution.
The industrial revolution was caused by many things, instead of just one major event. To begin, the agricultural revolution caused a major rise of population in England. This population growth caused a higher demand for clothing. New financial innovations such as banks, stock markets, and joint stock companies encouraged people to take new risks with investing and trading. Also the scientific revolution encouraged people to think in new scientific and technological ways. The coal and iron industries were of extreme importance during this time. Deposits were abundant in Great Britain and were essential to the development of new machines. The cottage industry relied heavily on these machines, hourly wages, and cloth production. Government Policies in England toward property and commerce also encouraged modernism and the spread of global trade. The government created patent laws that allowed inventors to benefit financially from the “intellectual property” of their inventions.
There were many extremely valuable inventions that came about during the industrial revolution. They made certain tasks easier which made things faster and cheaper. The steam engine is a heat engine that uses water/steam as its working fluid. The steam engine was not something that was just invented by one person, but was devolved over time by additions made by multiple people all over the world. It heavily impacted mass production and shipping materials. It was also valuable in transportation. In return this affected communication since steam-powered locomotives and vehicles, and ships were used in transporting mails. Before the steam engine, the only sources of power were human or animal labor. It can be inferred that the steam engine made life much easier during this time period. The spinning jenny was a multi-spindle spinning frame. It was invented in 1764 by James Hargreaves. The machine used eight spindles onto which the thread was spun, so by turning a single wheel, the operator could now spin eight threads at once. This increased to eighty with improvements in the technology. The spinning jenny made it possible for one person to do the work of several other people. This successfully ended the system of cottage industry, which threw a lot of people into complete poverty and impoverishment. There were not enough jobs for all the people who had previously supported themselves through producing yarn and then selling it from their homes, because the spinning jenny made them needless. This obviously had a colossal effect on the lives and livelihoods of thousands of people. The cotton gin was invented in 1793 by Eli Whitney. It is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds. This made cotton easier and quicker to manufacture, and benefited the cotton-pickers. All of the inventions during the industrial revolution made things move quicker. It sped up the process in
During the industrial revolution, two social classes emerged, the middle class and working class. Before the Industrial revolution, there was only the really rich and the really poor, also known as the nobles and peasants. The middle class consisted of business owners, lawyers and doctors. The businessmen bought and owned the factories and machines. The people in the middle-class had the
Show More

Related Documents: Industrial Revolution Essays

Industrial Revolution

powered boats and railroads, was invented to move the cash crop. Additionally, telecommunications, such as the telegraph, improved the way shipments were organized and tracked. Ultimately, this fusion of raw materials and technology led to the Industrial Revolution. The United States is not the only country that has seen telecommunications improve infrastructure. Batuo (2015) discussed how over the past two decades “telecommunications infrastructure is related to economic growth in a panel…

Words 1179 - Pages 5

Neolithic Revolution: The Industrial Revolution

The Neolithic revolution had a number of people living together; they had to make an easier way to organize everyone and their jobs, giving everyone a certain task that they felt they were best at. The industrial revolution included many people working in factories. Parents worked hard also children, demanding for better working conditions and a higher pay. Neolithic revolution lived in small villages together, no machines nor technology whatsoever. They hand made tools and weapons to attack their…

Words 292 - Pages 2

DBQ: The Industrial Revolution

England sparked a new age in the world know as the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution is still affecting the world today in many different and positive ways. The Industrial Revolution is… England industrialized first for many reasons. Britain's large population of workers, abundance of natural resources, and political stability allowed the Industrial Revolution to start in England. The first reason that Britain industrialized first was because, it had a large and growing population…

Words 585 - Pages 3

Essay on industrial revolution

The Industrial Revolution was when factories started popping up and making mass quantities of a certain product. The Industrial Revolution made it possible for us to build vertically, with five and six stories, rather than only horizontally, with may be only two or three stories. Andrew Carnegie was one of the most influential men from the Industrial Revolution; he made it possible for us to build skyscrapers. However, the revolution had a major impact on the Earth, such as pollution and massive…

Words 356 - Pages 2

Industrial Revolution Essay

The Industrial Revolution, which was an increase in production brought about by the use of machines, had a beneficial impact only on a small minority of the people of Great Britain, for the majority it was unfavourable. For the larger part of Great Britain the Industrial Revolution brought about appalling living conditions along with horrendous working conditions. The bourgeoisie greatly profited from the Industrial Revolution due to the significant technological developments that occurred. Through…

Words 580 - Pages 3

Industrial Revolution Essay

Industrial Revolution Almost everywhere we look and trod upon, there are traces of technology. The Industrial Revolution brought forth some of the most important inventions in world history, and much what came out of the Industrial Revolution affects us to this day. The Industrial Revolution is a period in which countless inventions and ideas bust out from the intellect of men in the 1800s. Unlike other European countries, Britain had political and economic stability in addition to all the factors…

Words 323 - Pages 2

Industrial Revolution Changes

but he will soon be able to do much more. The Industrial Revolution was a time of change in the economy all around the world. This Revolution started in England due to many factors, including the British Empire. As Joseph Montagna says that the “Industrial Revolution was a period in which fundamental changes occurred in agriculture, textile and metal manufacture, transportation, economic policies and the social structure in England.” Before the Revolution, life was a lot more simple, although that…

Words 713 - Pages 3

Industrial Revolution Essay

History 3, period 2 Final Industrial Revolution Today’s technology has advanced drastically. There is new machinery that helps makes our lives easier, such as a drill to dig underground. But life wasn’t easy especially during the Industrial Revolution, especially during the Industrial Revolution. Life during the Industrial Revolution was because kids had to work, the upper classes were ignorant, and not many were educated. The Industrial Revolution was a similar process to the…

Words 481 - Pages 2

Industrial Revolution In The 1800s

Industrial Revolution Research Paper Has anyone ever wondered what it was like living in the 1800s? Well if anyone has then here are some really interesting facts about the Industrial Revolution and the great impact on todays society. In the early 1800s, people who lived in this time period had a lot of jobs and important roles. These people were all ages, even little kids! The economy changed because inventors stepped it up and made new inventions which helped the colonists succeed with their jobs…

Words 933 - Pages 4

Industrial Revolution Essay

Arnold Tonybee defined the essence of the Industrial Revolution as “the substitution of competition for the mediaevel regulations which had previously controlled the production and distribution of wealth.” There were quite a few components that encompassed the Industrial Revolution in his eyes. The extreme growth in population definitely played a role in the era. Tonybee provided statistics to show the increase in population in England. He even noted that some of the numbers were “the highest figure…

Words 426 - Pages 2