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Instruction 3-1 The First Signs of Change | The Spread of Industry
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| The First Signs of Change | ||||||
| CCSTD History Grade 10 10.3.1.-10.3.5. | ||||||
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Today we have computers, fast cars, and many other examples of technology. Humans can travel anywhere on Earth, and can even travel in outer space. Not too long ago, the world was a very different place. Only 25% of Europeans lived in cities or towns, and even the cities and towns were very small. People did not travel much; in fact, most people never left their home town their whole lives. Farming and manufacturing were much more difficult. Communication across distances was slow. Life expectancy was only about 40 years, and many babies died at birth. There were the very wealthy, and then there were the very poor—mostly farmers and coal miners.
So what changed everything, and when did the change happen? The Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution had its roots in the 1700s, when a few key inventions made agricultural jobs much easier. In order for a major improvement in industry to happen, certain factors needed to be in place: incentive to change a process, scientific knowledge, money to build machines, a labor force to run the machines, enough raw materials, and end markets to sell the goods. In Great Britain during the early 1700s, all these conditions happened, and change began that swept the world and affected every factor of life.
For thousands of years, people in England farmed on “open land,” which was not owned by anyone. This gave way to private ownership. Then during the late 1700s, Parliament endorsed the enclosure movement. This movement allowed wealthy landowners to enclose the land around them into their estates. Suddenly many farmers had no source of income and had to move to cities to find work. This event pushed great urban (city) growth during the 18th century. At the same time, landowners began to adopt more effective methods of farming their large estates. They used crop rotation, newly invented tools, and breeding techniques to transform agriculture from being a way of life to being a profitable business. As landowners became wealthy, they invested in growing industries. A middle class, made up of merchants and shopkeepers, began to emerge. Inventions that were first used in agriculture were applied to industrial use. For example, one of the first industrial-age inventions was the steam engine in 1705. It was first used to pump water out of coalmines, but eventually industry adapted it to make cloth. Many people worked together in one building to make cloth, and this building came to be known as a factory. Before this invention, one person would labor at a loom for many hours just to make one yard of cloth. But a worker in a factory could make fifty times as much cloth.
The factory system was an organized method of production in which managers controlled workers and machines together under one roof. Prior to this system, people had worked out of their homes. But with the new, more efficient inventions, production got too big to be done at home and had to be moved into a separate building. Great Britain had abundant natural resources, including iron and coal. Coal helped fuel the machines used in the factories, and iron was used to build machines. Also, Britain’s geography gave it plentiful rivers and good harbors, which helped trade to thrive. Industry grew in Britain because the market demanded it, because there was enough money to pay for it, and because of inventions that made production fast and efficient. Eventually, the invention of the power loom and the cotton gin advanced Great Britain as the leader in the textile (cloth) industry. Britain had the advantage over other European nations because it had abundant raw materials, like cotton and wool, as well as a large pool of labor. Much of its raw materials and labor pool came from its colonies, including those in North America. Now with these inventions, the entire process of making cloth could be done by machine. Inventions of the Industrial Revolution During the mid-1800s, an American ironworker and a British engineer developed methods to produce steel from iron inexpensively. Steel answered industry’s need for a sturdy, usable metal. Steel also helped improve transportation. A new canal system featured steele; goods could be transported quickly over water. Also, trains were made from steel. Robert Fulton designed the first steamboat in 1809. Transportation was revolutionized due to the railroad and the steamboat.
The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain and spread quickly throughout Europe and to America. Life had changed for everyone. Manu goods were more abundant and inexpensive. People could travel more easily. More people lived in cities, and cities grew rapidly. One of the results of an urbanized society is that traditional beliefs and customs get modified. In the next section, we’ll learn more about the changes that happened, good and bad, as a result of the Industrial Revolution. Video Instruction
Now let's do Practice Exercise 3-1 (top).
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