How Did The Industrial Revolution Start

Improved Essays
Explain the main reasons why the Industrial Revolution began in Britain

The Industrial Revolution began in the 18th century in Britain and gradually spread to the rest of the world. The Industrial Revolution was the change of manufacturing and agricultural processes, and with the establishment and success of the British Empire, Britain was successful in improving its lifestyle through incorporating their geographical, political and social aspects of life into making new changes. The success of its Empire allowed them to earn money which they could then invest and use to build factories, thus leading to the Industrial Revolution.
With the coming of new age, serfdom and guilds in Britain were demolished earlier than any other country in the world. An act of parliament caused lands to be enclosed, and farmers who disagreed with this new law were stripped of their land, and had to either work on another farm or become a labourer in the city. This, alongside with new lands laws which allowed citizens to move freely in
…show more content…
This meant they did not have to worry about land being destroyed or rebuilding properties, and could spend their time and money on industrialising and improving their lifestyle. The establishment of the British Empire allowed the country to have access to cheap labour, new markets and products that they could use for manufacturing or sell in the market to earn more money that could be used to industrialise further. The Empire was enormous by the year 1800, and resources such as sugar, wheat and wool were being obtained by Britain. The country could also produce many items for cheap costs, and sell them for profits in Europe. The success of the British Empire helped the country industrialise as large amounts of money were available for British industrialists to invest in machinery and

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Imperialism is a policy that seeks to increase its size, either by forcing or influencing other countries to submit to their rule. During the 1800s, Great Britain’s empire expanded to include India, other parts of Asia, and parts of Africa. Great Britain’s colonial rule had both positive and negative effects on the colonial empire. There were political, and economic causes of British Imperialism. Great Britain not only modernised countries, but also benefitted from them by their useful advantages.…

    • 809 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain during the 1760’s where machines were built to create products from the vast resources. Due to Great Britain having an agricultural empire, they had access to more crops. Effects were labor, wealth, and pollution. Although the Industrial Revolution led to progression in global technology, it also caused a demand of labor and money, leading to abusive working conditions meaning that ultimately, it was a period of depression and struggle. Construction of cotton factories gave workers jobs, but the working conditions of the factories were not very favorable.…

    • 795 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Industrial Revolution Dbq

    • 832 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Industrial Revolution had already begun taking place in Britain during the mid 18th century but America was lagging behind its mother country; mostly due to the shortage of labor and abundance of land. Nevertheless the Industrial Revolution began and everything changed. The birth of the machine.…

    • 832 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Industrial Revolution was started in Great Britain during the mid-1700’s. The Industrial Revolution started in Great Britain because they had many factors to help them. The Industrial Revolution was at first negative on the people working in the factories, but then got better as the government got involved. The Industrial Revolution had both negative and positive effects on the worker during the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution in the beginning was not a pleasant time for the workers in the new factories.…

    • 332 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The change from agrarian manufacturing to manufacturing with machines brought many changes to the living and working conditions of many people. Many people began to move to cities to find jobs and the overall population of Britain increased. Those who were poor faced the disadvantages of living in overcrowded environments, being sent to work in factories at young ages, and woman were faced with working long hours at factories being paid a very low amount (British Museum). Those who were wealthy enjoyed the benefits of new prosperity and were able to spend time and money on leisurely activities. The horrid working and living conditions of the poor and working also led to the creation of trade unions to protest against the unfair pay and treatment…

    • 529 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The most significant reason that Great Britain industrialized first is because of the Enlightenment and Scientific Revolution. Because of the Enlightenment and Scientific, Great Britain had an increase in scholars, new technology, and advanced knowledge of finance. During the Enlightenment, men were encouraged to question why the government was selected by God, causing a rise in philosophers who came up with new ideas about government and religion. As philosophers spread their ideas across Europe, they inspired others to do so as well. According to the article, Why Did the Industrial Revolution Start in England, “The Enlightenment and the Scientific Revolution encouraged scholars and craftspeople to apply new scientific thinking to mechanical…

    • 202 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Before the middle of the 18th century, most people lived and worked in countryside. Women worked on their house and sometimes helped men’s work together. Children also worked for their family, but mostly it was small jobs such as farming and watching animal. Especially, there was no technical change in these periods. However, the European Society changed dramatically during the Industrial Revolution period.…

    • 803 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The Industrial Revolution was the quick development of industry during the late 18th and 19th centuries in Britain that was brought about by advances in machinery. This revolution did bring about quicker transportation, cheaper clothes and well-built houses but these benefits are surpassed by the negative effects such as inhumane working conditions, death of workers and an immense amount of people who had to live in slums. According to Document 1, children began working at ages as young as ten where they would work sixteen hour shifts with one slight break around lunchtime. To keep the exhausted children awake, they were frequently hit with straps.…

    • 269 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The end of the eighteenth century was a time of great change in many aspects. One of the greatests changes in society was the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution was a time of economic productivity and population growth. The Industrial Revolution began in England at the end of the eighteenth century. It began in England for a multitude of reasons, these including a stable economy, an effective system of waterways connecting the nation, and the Scientific Revolution changing the way people solved problems.…

    • 1078 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The first Industrial Revolution occurred during the early 1800s, in England. It revolutionized the making of products and its use. It was a leap from handwork to industrial factories. Then in the United States, during 1870-1914 the, “Second Industrial Revolution” took place. 1 This second revolution also brought many advancements in America and is, in fact responsible for the modern America we live in today.…

    • 1214 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The influences of Britain’s industrial revolution The industrial revolution was an important stage of the development history of capitalism, which promoted the transformation from agricultural society to modern industrial society. This revolution occurred first in 1760s Britain, which brought many tremendous influences to the whole British society. On one hand, the outbreak of the Industrial revolution released and developed social productive forces, which further increased labor productivity; on the other hand, it accelerated the process of British industrialization, promoted the development of urbanization, and laid a solid foundation for economic development. After the happening of the industrial revolution, the factory system of capitalism appeared.…

    • 1049 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Industrial revolution transformed sport as it was, towards the modern sport we have today. It made sport and leisure an accessible activity which could be engaged in, and enjoyed by all. It created time and resources for the enjoyment of sport, and allowed sport to be more far-reaching, and accessible through developments in technology. The industrial revolution began in Britain in the late 1700s, and continued through the 18th and 19th centuries.…

    • 1367 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The British Empire heavily influenced the population through ideas of modernisation, whilst significant agriculture improvements provided for the growing population. Agriculture also heavily provided the vital manpower and workforce needed due to the influential enclosure acts introduced by the government. Undoubtedly, urbanisation has proved to play a huge role in achieving Britain’s workforce in previous years however it was due to the ambition and drive on modernisation that it strived in the lead up to the revolution. Political, social, economic and cultural factors all relied on one another to succeed and without working coherently together, Britain could not successfully achieve an industrial nation that was accomplished by the Industrial…

    • 1187 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    Life in this period has been described as “years of suffering and deprivation, as that “bleak age” in which the “evils of the Industrial Revolution” made themselves manifest”. However, this cold and unjust period gradually came to an end with the intervention of the government and implementation of new legislations that gave workers rights and privileges in their workplaces. The Coal Mines Act of 1842, for example, was passed to ensure that in coal mines “no female was to be employed underground [and] no boy under 10 years old was to be employed underground” . In 1833, The Factory Act was passed, requiring that “no child under nine should be allowed to work in textile factories; that children between nine and thirteen work no more than eight hours a day and receive a minimum of three hours of schooling per day; and that adolescents between thirteen and eighteen work no more than twelve hours a day.”…

    • 1773 Words
    • 8 Pages
    • 8 Works Cited
    Great Essays