Industrial Revolution

HISTORIANS CONSIDER the Industrial Revolution to be the beginning of the modern era in the Western world. The revolution is marked by a century-long transition from small-scale domestic craftwork to the extensive use of machinery and mass-production techniques. The revolution began in Great Britain about 1750 and continued to the middle of the 19th century. During this period, major changes occurred in all phases of European life. Industrial processes became more centrally located within fast-growing cities and people were displaced from rural areas and took low-paying jobs in the new factories. Once in the cities, workers and their families lived under crowded conditions in less than adequate housing. Sanitary conditions were extremely bad and disease was rampant.

The revolution was supported by improvements in transportation systems and machinery that was capable of generating enormous amounts of energy. The first industry to take full part in the revolution was textile-making. Population increases, which began in earnest in the middle of the 18th century, and the relocation of domestic clothmakers to the cities led to increased demand for scarce textile products. Investments by wealthy businessmen provided the initial start-up financing and once the industry was under way, profits from sales generated subsequent growth. Inventions such as the flying shuttle, the spinning jenny, and the water frame greatly increased the ability to process cotton into cloth and, in turn, created increased demand for cotton. Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin led to greatly increased production of cotton and the enhancement of the textile industry in the United States.

The Industrial Revolution depended on machines to do the work that people had done in times past. Richard Compton's “mule” required waterpower for its operation, ushering in the era of factory location on rivers. With James Watt's steam engine, the Industrial Revolution reached an even higher plateau in productivity. The steam engine provided virtually unlimited power to industry and transportation. The iron and steel industry was also a prime mover in the Industrial Revolution. In order to produce the high temperatures necessary for the making of steel, charcoal and coking coal were required. In 1740, 17,000 tons of steel were produced in Great Britain. One hundred years later over three million tons of steel were made to ensure the continuance of industrial growth in that country.

The change from decentralized production of goods to the urban-based factory system exemplified and defined the Industrial Revolution more than any other single process. The new steam-powered machinery of industry required the relocation of production facilities to the cities. As a result people moved from the rural areas into the burgeoning urban places. Health conditions in the cities and factories were not ideal. Long work hours in smoky factories and the generally unsanitary situation within the hastily built urban homes led to illnesses and epidemics for thousands of workers and residents. Poverty was widespread within Great Britain and other European countries during the early decades of the Industrial Revolution and socioeconomic improvements came slowly through the latter half of the 19th century.

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