The Industrial Revolution
How Did It Start?
• Agricultural revolution– Horse and steel plow– Fertilizer use– Yields improved 300% from 1700-1850
• Growth of foreign trade for manufactured goods– Foreign colonies (?)– Increased ships and sizes (?)– Successful wars and foreign conquests
What was the Industrial Revolution?
• Period of time when machines start to replace work that had been done by people.
• Steam and electricity replace human and animal power.
• Began in the 1700s.
Where did the IndRev begin?
• Great Britain (England)
• Started in textile (cloth) industry.
• Why?– It had resources (iron & coal)– It had money– It had colonies for markets
What was good about the IndRev?
• Many products become cheaper and easier to buy for many people.
• Standard of living improves for most people
• Inspires many new inventions.
What was bad about the IndRev?
• Many people work in terrible environments.
• Child labor used.
• No laws to protect people from abuse.
• Poverty, disease, poor living conditions.
What did people do about the problems with the IndRev?
• Reformers point out problems to public.
• Workers form unions to get better pay, working conditions, etc.
• Pressure on governments puts child labor, minimum wage, work safety, etc. in place.
What does this have to do with Communism & Capitalism?
• The IndRev starts an argument between these two ideas that we still have today.