The Industrial Revolution (jan 1, 1750 – jan 1, 1830)

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Inventions and innovations
The driving force behind the Industrial Revolution was the inventions and innovations which continuously fuelled the event by providing better and better means to increase productivity, develop new processes and enhance distribution.

Modernizing Agriculture
New farming techniques and improved livestock breeding led to amplified food production. There are scientific methods that makes farming more rewarding, and production increased significantly. This allowed a spike in population and increased health. The new farming techniques also led to an enclosure movement.

Factors of production
The factors of production are resources that are the building blocks of the economy; they are what people use to produce goods and services. Economists divide the factors of production into four categories: land, labor, capital, and entrepreneurship

• Land: Land has a broad definition as a factor of production and can take on various forms. In this case, land is about te fact that Britain has plenty of land and space to expand and grow.
• Labor: Labor refers to the effort expended by an individual to bring a product or service to the market. Again, it can take on various forms. For example, the factory workers are part of labor as well as the workers in the coal mines. Due to the population boom there were more than enough people to work and take on all the different jobs.
• Capital: Because of the trade, and colonisation, the British had capital enough.
• Entrepreneurship: the activity of setting up a business or businesses, taking on financial risks in the hope of profit.

Britain has all of these four factors of production, resulting in the perfect circumstance for a period of growth.

Power driven production
The resources used for energy during the Industrial Revolution made a huge impact historically and sparked a revolution that would change the world both technologically and environmentally. They would push the world forward in terms of production, distribution and technology.
The main resource used to produce energy during the Industrial Revolution was coal. The shortage of trees for lumber led to coal's popularity; especially in England, where there was an abundance of it. The early uses of wind, water and wood for energy were replaced by coal, which could produce high levels of heat, power machines that were much more efficient and replace slow, manual labor. Coal seems to have sparked the revolution itself, creating a quicker production pace for the world. Coal was convenient; it could be used in its natural form; and it was plentiful.

The textile industry
One of the main industries that benefitted from the Industrial Revolution was the textile industry. The textile industry was based on the development of cloth and clothing. James Hargreaves created the spinning jenny which allowed a machine with many spindles of thread to be spun at one time. There were many other inventions such as water frame, power loom or cotton gin that sped up the process.

Mining industry
Coal was needed in vast quantities for the Industrial Revolution. Before the Industrial Revolution, two types of mines existed: drift mines and bell pits. Both were small-scale coal mines and the coal which came from these type of pits was used locally in homes and local industry. The development of factories by Arkwright and the improvement of the steam engine by Watt further increased demand for coal. As a result, coal mines got deeper and deeper and coal mining became more and more dangerous, but also more profiting.

Mass migrations to new cities
Population migration from rural to urban settings is a defining feature of the Industrial Revolution. Because of the new jobs available in the factories in the cities, the population moved there in big numbers. A negative effect of this mass migration is that the living conditions in the cities became very bad, because of the amount of people living clumped together in small spaces.

Birth of the middle class:
For centuries the aristocracy had been the most powerful section of British society. But from the last quarter of the 18th century, the middle classes began to grow in power and confidence. Land was no longer the only source of wealth. Thanks to the Industrial Revolution, it was now possible to make a fortune from manufacturing and trading goods. There were all sorts of new professional, technical and clerical roles that required a high degree of education and training. The number of people who counted as middle class began to swell, and men became defined by their jobs rather than their family background.

Formation of Unions
Due to the poor working condition and low wages, workers came together in Unions to increase their chances of being heard. Through organization and cooperation, union leaders had the power to negotiate with employers for fair treatment, wage increases and improved conditions. The strike became the trade union’s most powerful bargaining chip and was the ultimate fear for employers.

Education
The Industrial Revolution brought several important changes to the field of education by making education accessible for children of all socioeconomic backgrounds and setting laws making education a requirement. Prior to the 1800s, the accessibility of education to children was spotty. And important change in the education field was made through The Factory Act.

Living and working condition for the working class
The living conditions in the cities and towns were miserable and characterized by: overcrowding, poor sanitation, spread of diseases, and pollution. As well, workers were paid low wages that barely allowed them to afford the cost of living associated with their rent and food.

The working conditions were poor and sometimes dangerous. Unlike today, workers during the Industrial Revolution were expected to work long hours or they would lose their jobs. Many workers had to work 12 hour days, six days a week. ... If they got sick or were injured on the job and missed work, they were often

The Poor Law
In 1834 a new Poor Law was introduced. Some people welcomed it because they believed it would: reduce the cost of looking after the poor, take beggars off the streets and encourage poor people to work hard to support themselves.
The new Poor Law ensured that the poor were housed in workhouses, clothed and fed. Children who entered the workhouse would receive some schooling. In return for this care, all workhouse paupers would have to work for several hours each day.

The factory act
In 1833 the Government passed a Factory Act to improve conditions for children working in factories. Young children were working very long hours in workplaces where conditions were often terrible. The basic act was as follows:
• no child workers under nine years of age
• employers must have an age certificate for their child workers
• children of 9-13 years to work no more than nine hours a day
• children of 13-18 years to work no more than 12 hours a day
• children are not to work at night
• two hours schooling each day for children
• four factory inspectors appointed to enforce the law
However, the passing of this act did not mean that the mistreatment of children stopped overnight.

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