Unit 4: The Industrial Revolution in England
The Industrial Revolution began in England, which was, by 1750, one of the wealthiest capitalist states in the world. The revolution started in England's textile industry, which was struggling to produce goods cheaper and faster for growing consumer markets. Business people and factory workers, rather than scientists, developed key inventions to solve major bottlenecks in textile production. As the production scale grew, the factory emerged as a centralized location where wage laborers could work on machines using raw materials provided by capitalist entrepreneurs. By the late 18th century, steam power was adapted to power factory machinery, sparking an even more significant surge in industrial machines' size, speed, and productivity. New ideas revolutionized heavy industries like ironworking, and new transportation technologies were developed to move products further and faster.
Growing businesses soon outstripped the financial abilities of individuals and their families, leading to legal reforms that allowed corporations to own and operate businesses. While England initially tried to protect its industrial technologies, the central ideas of the Industrial Revolution quickly spread to continental Europe and North America.
In this unit, we examine the significant ideas and events of the Industrial Revolution, study the effects the Industrial Revolution had on the economy of England, and see how the process of economic change spread to other parts of the world.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 5 hours.
Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- describe how new technology increased industrialization;
- discuss how improved methods of coal extraction drove multiple other industries;
- interpret primary source documents to understand why some workers opposed industrialization;
- examine the impact of the factory system on the notion of human rights;
- identify major developments in transportation technology; and
- explain how knowledge about industrialization spread within and beyond Europe.