The Early Industrial Revolution, 1800-1850APEURO Lecture 5D

Mrs. Kray

Some slides taken from Susan Pojer

What is the Industrial Revolution?Substitution of mineral and mechanical

energy for animal and human energy Theoretically mineral and mechanical energy

are inexhaustible while animal and human energy tires or wears out

Caused a revolution in access to the means of supporting human life Workers produced more goods and

cheaper prices Ended much of the scarcity of the Old

Regime Supported a rising standard of living

The Industrial Revolution in Great Britain

The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain in the 1780s and on the Continent after 1815.

Reasons for British Leadership:Geographic Advantages

Island status Insulated it from continental

wars/strife No need to waste $$$ on a

standing army Free to promote an overseas empire

Availability of natural resources Coal and iron ore

No place more than 70 miles from ocean

Reasons for British Leadership:Economic Advantages

Commercial Revolution British merchants had capital for investment Great Britain had the most highly developed banking system in Europe Expanding Atlantic trade and a strong, tariff-free home market created new

demands for English manufactured goods

Agricultural Revolution Landowners experimented with new crops and new inventions which

increased production and lowered food prices More food + medical advances = reduced death rates & population explosion People didn’t need as much $$$ for food which increased demand for

manufactured goods

Strongest financial network of banks and credit institutions in the world Could supply entrepreneurs w/needed capital to industrialize

Reasons for British Leadership:Political Advantages

Those inclined to promote industry had political power in Parliament Parliament promoted industry:

Enclosure Acts, laissez-faire policies, protected private property

Also supported development of the navy and acquisition of colonies Colonies became source of raw materials

and new markets

Enclosure Movement With no land to work, small farmers

were displaced, thus forming a pool of cheap labor

Reasons for British Leadership:Social & Cultural Advantages

Enlightenment Royal society exchanged

scientific ideas British society encouraged and

rewarded inventors and entrepreneurs In Britain, aristocrats and middle-

class shared interest in commerce and profit accumulation

On the continent, pursuit of profit frowned on by elites – characteristic of “vulgar bourgeoisie”

Protestant dissenters Although there was moderate

religious toleration, dissenters were excluded from paid clergy, the university system, and government positions

Thus driven into commercial and industrial positions

“dissenting academies” emphasized practical and technical training Many early inventors came from

this group

The First Factories:

The Textile Industry Huge demand for cotton cloth

Putting out system couldn’t keep up

Prompted by huge potential profits, British entrepreneurs financed new ways of spinning and weaving cloth Technological breakthroughs paved

way for first factories By 1850s entire textile industry

mechanized

As a result of these continuous technological improvements, the output of cotton fiber from British textile factories rose dramatically 1785: 40 million yards 1850: 2 billion yards

John Kay’s Flying Shuttle, 1733

Cut the time of the weaving process in ½ So now a

single weaver could work twice as fast

Created demand for more spun yarn

James Hargreaves’ “Spinning Jenny,” 1768

Improved the traditional spinning wheel

Allowed operator to spin 8 or more threads!!

Richard Arkwright’s Water Frame, 1771

Added water power to the principle of the jennyUsed waterpower from

fast-moving streams to drive spinning machines

Allowed for the development of factories near rivers

Samuel Crompton’s “Spinning Mule,” 1779

Combined the mechanical principles of the jenny and the water frame to create a new spinning machine

The thread produced was stronger, finer, and more uniform than earlier spinning machines

Edmund Cartwright’s Power Loom,1785

Used water power to dramatically speed up weaving

Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin, 1793

Cotton gin made it possible to efficiently remove seeds form the cotton fiber

Richard Arkwright“Pioneer of the Factory System”

Concentrated production in one place [materials, labor].

Located near sources of power [rather than labor or markets].

Requires a lot of investment [factory, machine capital, etc.] more than skilled labor.

Only 10% of English industry in 1850.

The Factory System

Rigid schedule.12-14 hour day.Dangerous conditions.Mind-numbing monotony

1813 2400 looms

150, 000 workers

1833 85,000 looms

200, 000 workers

1850224,000 looms

>1 million workers

Textile Factory Workers in England

Conditions in the Early Factories

Working conditions in these factories was worse than those for people spinning and weaving at home

Factories viewed as poor houses

Abandoned children became a prime source of labor in the early factories “Apprenticed” workers Worked 13-14 hours per day Their exploitation eventually led to

reform and humanitarian attitudes toward children

Young “Bobbin Doffers”

A Revolution in Energy

From prehistoric to medieval times the major energy sources were plants and animals, and human beings and animals did most of the work. This type of energy was limited. The search for a solution to the energy problem was a major cause of industrialization.

The Problem of Energy

By the 18th c., Britain’s major source of fuel, wood, was nearly gone Wood was crucial as a source of heat

and as a source of charcoal for the production of iron

A new source of power and energy was need so people turned to coal Before 1700, coal was used for heat

but not to produce mechanical energy or to run machinery

James Watt’s Steam Engine, 1769

Steam engine converts coal into energy

First steam engines used to pump water out of coal mines, but did so inefficiently. Actually used more energy

than they produced. Watt’s invention changed all

that

Steam engine rapidly replaced waterpower in British textile factories

Impact of the Steam Engine Enabled textile industry to expand

Steam power played a key role in boosting iron production 1709: Quaker Abraham Darby

developed first blast furnace using coke (a by-product of coal) to heat iron ore, which burned cleaner and allowed for the production of greater amounts of iron

1820: Henry Cort’s “Puddling” process allowed factories to produce high quality pig iron which could be shaped more easily for industrial purposes

1829: “Hot blast” cheaper, purer steel. 1856: Bessemer process strong,

flexible steel. Metallurgy required vast amounts of coal

stimulating both industries

British Pig Iron Production

Steam power, coal mining, iron, and railroads were closely connected.

Developments in one tended to feed demand in the others, like a feedback loop.

1800 1 ton of coal 50, 000 miners

1850 30 tons 200, 000 miners

1880 300 million tons

500, 000 miners

1914 250 million tons

1, 200, 000 miners

Coal Mining in Britain

The Coming of Railroads Steam power enabled inventors to

build railroad locomotives

1825: George Stephenson’s Rocket Europe’s first locomotive

1830: Liverpool-Manchester Railway English entrepreneurs wanted a

railroad line to connect the port of Liverpool with the city of Manchester, the heart of the spinning and weaving industry

1850: Britain had more than 6,000 miles of railroad track

Railroads changed the outlook and values of the entire society

Stephenson’s Rocket – travelled 24 mph

Impact of Railroads Stimulated further industrial growth

Decreased isolation and allowed for geographic and social mobility

Created regional and national markets for agriculture and industrial goods Energized production of steel, steam

engines, and coal mining

Reduced the cost of shipping freight which lowered cost of goods

Promoted leisure travel

Replaced canals as most efficient means of transportation

Britain’s Industrial DominanceStatistical Measures of Prosperity, 1850

Manufactured ½ the world’s cotton

Mined 2/3 of the world’s coal

Mined more than ½ the world’s iron

Controlled 1/3 of the world’s international trade

The Crystal Palace Exposition, 1851 Celebrated Britain’s undisputed

economic and technological dominance Britain was the “workshop of the

world”

Held in the Crystal Palace in London Enclosed 18 acres and almost 1

million square feet of exhibition space

Featured prefabricated glass panels and cast-iron columns

Demonstrated the possibilities of mass production

Industrialization in Continental Europe

18th c. Economic Advantages 18th c. Economic Disadvantages

Why Wasn’t France First?

Napoleonic Code.

French communal law. Free contracts Open markets Uniform & clear commercial

regulations

Standard weights & measures.

Established technical schools.

The government encouraged & honored inventors & inventions.

Bank of France European model providing a reliable currency.

Years of war Supported the American

Revolution. French Revolution. Napoleonic Wars

Heavy debts

High unemployment soldiersreturning from the battlefronts.

French businessmen were afraid to take risks.

France and Gradual Change Gradual industrialization limited its negative side effects

Legacy of Fr. Rev. tradition of small, family-based farms No destabilizing enclosure movement

Large internal market and skilled labor force Allowed Fr. to focus on higher-end products (silks, intricately patterned

textiles)

Limited heavy industry Cause: Lacked extensive coal and iron ore reserves Effect: cities smaller and did not grow as rapidly Avoided some of the worst effects of urbanization

Not until after 1850 did French finances, railroads, and communication bring about a fuller modernization

Germany: A Shackled GiantDisunity hindered economic potentialEach state had its own

tariffs, tax system, and state priorities

Large coal and iron ore supply

Rich agricultural sectorStrong craft tradition

1830s Friedrich List argued for the development of a national economic systemCustoms union to create a

free trade zoneGov’t building of RRsSubsidies to key industriesProtective tariffs

The Zollverein, 1834Prussian-led customs

union

Created a free trade zone among German member states

Promoted economic integration and later political integration

European Industrialization by 1850

Zones of IndustrializationBritainNortheast

France.Belgium.The Netherlands.Western German

states.Northern ItalyEast Germany

Saxony

Railroads in Europe by 1850

European Share in World Manufacturing Output: 1750-1900