Industrial Revolution1750-1915

Pre-Industrial Society

• England – divided into farming villages – had to grow enough to feed itself.

• Farmers used three fields – two were divided into strips and one was used for grazing

• Disadvantages to the system – strips were separated, spread of cow diseases infected all livestock.

• Peasants had few possessions, livestock and land – worked long hours

Village Life

• Centered around church and village courts• Parish priests was very important• Some villages had schools• Artisans – skilled laborers (blacksmith,

shoemaker, etc.)• Change was needed – 1. Population increase

2. Napoleon’s blockage of British ports

Domestic System

Wool taken from sheep

Wool spun into thread on wheel

Cloth dyed into color

Thread weaved on loom into cloth

Cloth sold at market for high cost

AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION

Enclosure Movement

• Wealthy landowners fenced in common pastures and experimented with new farming techniques

• Villages lost common lands and political power – peasants became poorer

Crop Rotation

• Fields depleted of nutrients – farmers began planting different crops to replenish nutrients

Discoveries & Results

• Seed drill – Jethro Tull• New crops – corn and potatoes

• Results – more food available – population increase