The Industrial Revolution

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The Industrial Revolution was a period distinguished by the transition from animal power to machine power as the main means of production. It occurred first and most prominently in Britain, after the rise of the Agricultural Revolution and the inventions and production that came from it, though the rest of continental Europe caught up by simply mimicking Britain.

Origins of the Industrial Revolution in Britain


  • Huge amounts of commerce in Europe from colonization
  • Cheap food for all classes left a surplus to be spent on luxuries
  • Stable government and economic freedom allowed growth
  • Agricultural Revolution built the foundation: new tools led to more production and a desire for further progress

Technological Innovations

  • Steam engine popularized coal as energy
    • Earliest were inefficient but greatly impacted technology
    • James Watt produced more efficient steam engines in the 1760's, and started a new age of steam power
  • Railroads started cropping up after the invention of the steam engine
    • Offered faster transportation of goods
  • Textile production was a leading industry due to high demand, and several innovations were made to meet this demand
    • Fly shuttle halved the number of people needed to work a loom to increase production
    • Spinning jenny and water frame sped up the process of spinning cotton
  • Factories were a major means of production after the "putting out" system proved inefficient
    • Introduced child labor as a necessary commodity
    • Poor working conditions, but created a dependent stream of workers

Effects on Europe


Short term
  • Heavy noise pollution from the machinery in the factories
  • Controversy about child labor and later labor laws
  • Rushed housing for the now dense city population led to very poor living conditions for the working class
Long term
  • Air and water pollution from factory waste and railroad smoke
    • Water pollution caused massive death from cholera
  • Living conditions improved eventually, thanks to a rise in reforms and worker's unions
  • Gap between classes widened greatly; poor were unable to make any ground, while the rich became richer
  • Middle class women expected to stay in the home, led to striking gender gap for the next several decades
  • Lasseiz-faire economy was firmly established by the new production and labor systems