The Impact of the Industrial Revolution on Society and Economy
1. Why Did Britain Become the First Industrialized Country? Because of the political system, population growth, abundance of resources and raw materials, transport, and their colonial empire.
2. What Drove the Parallel Revolution? The innovation which led to a great change in the economic system.
3. What Energy Sources Were Introduced?
- Hydropower
- Use of coal to produce steam power = Watt steam machine
4. What Did the Factory System Lead To? It led to mass production and a huge increase in productivity.
5. What Were the Effects of the Enclosure Acts? They benefited big landowners who increased profits and produced more, while small farmers lacked the resources to enclose their lands and were forced to sell their land.
6. How Did the Norfolk Four-Course Crop Rotation System Change Agriculture? It increased the production of animal food, leading to a rise in livestock numbers, and improved human nutrition.
7. What Inventions Made Agricultural Tasks Easier? The Jethro Tull method, a system for mechanically sowing seeds, and the Rotherham plough to turn over fields and cover seeds with soil to protect them.
8. What Happened to Food Production? Food production grew because of the agricultural improvements made.
9. What Generates Continuous Movement in a Steam Engine? Steam power produced by burning coal generates the motion in the piston of a steam engine.
10. How Did the Steam Engine Improve Transport? Thanks to the energy provided by it, trains can transport more passengers and goods in less time and at lower costs.
11. How Was the Textile Industry Mechanized? Thanks to inventions like the flying shuttle and spinning machines, production could be faster, and weaving wider fabrics became possible.
12. What Led to the Growth of the Iron and Coal Mining Industries? The growth in these industries was due to a number of innovations:
- The use of coke in smelting, which allowed for the production of iron in much higher quantities than was previously possible.
- The development of puddling also helped expand the iron industry.
- The Bessemer converter made it possible to manufacture steel.
13. Why Did the Demand for Coal Increase? Because of its use in steam engines and in iron and steel manufacturing.
14. What Led to the Creation of a Domestic Market? The market economy, as goods were produced to sell in urban markets rather than for personal consumption.
15. What Demographic Changes Took Place? The population grew, and the ages of those within the population increased.
16. What Caused These Changes? Improvements in medicine, food production, and hygiene allowed death rates to decline and life expectancy to increase dramatically. The birth rate stayed the same or slightly increased, causing demographic changes.
17. What Was the Rural Exodus? It was the movement of agricultural workers who had lost their land and work due to mechanization to the cities to work in factories.
18. What Is the Goal of Economic Activity in Capitalism? The goal of economic activity in capitalism is the pursuit of maximum profit.
19. What Effect Do Protectionist Measures Have on Imported Goods? They impose tariffs on imported goods, making them more expensive and less profitable to import.
20. What Parts of the World Saw a High Level of Industrial Development? Japan, the USA, and large parts of Europe.
21. What Did Each Bourgeoisie Group Consist Of?
- High: Business owners, bankers, and big landowners.
- Middle: Professionals, such as doctors and lawyers, civil servants, and merchants.
- Petty: Employers, shopkeepers, and artisans.
22. How Much Did Women and Children Get Paid? Women and children were paid very little. Children received only around 10% of what men were paid, and women were only paid around 40% of the wages of their male colleagues.