History Project

Presented by :- Oswin Teny Roy Roll No – 33 X -F

INDUSTRIALIZATION &

THE RISE OF LONDON IN ENGLAND

What is Industrialization ?

Industrialization is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial one.

It is a part of a wider modernisation process, where social change and economic development are closely related with technological innovation, particularly with the development of large-scale energy and metallurgy production.

It is the extensive organisation of an economy for the purpose of manufacturing.

Industrial Revolution in Europe

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the UK experienced a massive increase in agricultural productivity known as the British Agricultural Revolution, which enabled an unprecedented population growth, freeing a significant percentage of the workforce from farming, and helping to drive the Industrial Revolution.

Due to the limited amount of arable land and the overwhelming efficiency of mechanised farming, the increased population could not be dedicated to agriculture. New agricultural techniques allowed a single peasant to feed more workers than previously; however, these techniques also increased the demand for machines and other hardware, which had traditionally been provided by the urban artisans.

British industrialisation involved significant changes in the

way that work was performed. The process of creating a good was divided into simple tasks, each one of them being gradually mechanised in order to boost productivity and thus increase income. The new machines helped to improve the productivity of each worker. However, industrialisation also involved the exploitation of new forms of energy.

In the pre-industrial economy, most machinery was powered by human muscle, by animals, by wood-burning or by water-power. With industrialization these sources of fuel were replaced with coal, which could deliver significantly more energy than the alternatives.

Indeed, much of the new technology that accompanied the industrial revolution was for machines which could be powered by coal. One outcome of this was an increase in the overall amount of energy consumed within the economy - a trend which has continued in all industrialised nations to the present day.

Textiles The first of the developments that

revolutionized the textile industry was the invention of the flying shuttle by John Kay in 1733. This was a mechanism on a loom that projected the shuttle carrying the wool back and forth across the warp. Weaving was so much faster on looms with flying shuttles that a yarn shortage soon developed.

The spinning wheel in use at that time turned only a single spindle, which twisted the fiber into yarn. Inventors started designing machines to replace the spinning wheel. About 1764 James Hargreaves introduced the spinning jenny, a machine that turned a number of spindles at the same time.

Beginning of the Factory System

The factory system that replaced the cottage system in the cotton industry was extended later to the manufacture of woollens, lace, and knitted hosiery. Metalworking also changed from a cottage industry to a factory industry. Most workers were housed in ugly communities that, after the introduction of steam power, lay under a constant pall of coal smoke and soot.

The textile factories employed mostly women and children, who could easily handle the machines and would work for very low pay. Orphans and children of the poor were often apprenticed to the textile manufacturers, and were sometimes chained to their machines. Their earnings barely kept them alive.

The Steam Engine Steam power was first used in industry

when the steam pump was introduced in the late 17th century to remove water from mines. In 1776 an improved steam engine designed by James Watt was installed in John Wilkinson's iron-smelting works to pump air to the furnace.

Thus far, the steam engine was only a pump. When Watt had worked out a system by which it could turn wheels, Wilkinson bought a second engine to roll iron. In 1784 a steam engine was used in a deep coal mine to lift coal to the surface. In 1785 Arkwright installed a steam engine in one of his cotton mills. The use of steam power in the iron and textile industries and in mining soon became general.

Iron and Coal In early iron furnaces charcoal was used as

fuel. By the 17th century, timber was becoming scarce in England. In the early 18th century it was found that coke burned with enough heat to smelt iron. The pig iron produced in a coke furnace, however, had a high carbon content that made it weak and brittle.

The new textile machinery and the steam engine required a tougher metal. In 1783 Peter Onions and Henry Cort introduced a process called puddling. Puddling removed most of the carbon and produced wrought iron , a metal that is tough and malleable A system for rolling the iron into shape was developed, and methods of making machine parts to precise measurements were worked out. The use of iron increased rapidly, and called for more coal to furnish coke for fuel.

London- Rise of this Modern City

Even after the Industrial Revolution, western countries were largely rural. Industrial cities in Britain such as Leeds and Manchester attracted large number of people who were seeking employment in the textile industries. Slowly industrialization brought about urbanization.

Now let us look at London as it was in 1750 :-

In 1750, 1/10th of the British population lived in London. It was a massive city with a population of 675,000. London continued to expand during the 19th century. Its population increased fourfold between 1810 and 1880,

increasing from 1 million to about 4 million. London was like a magnet for the migrant populations,

even though it did not have large factories.

Flourished industries in London

Shipping dockyards Clothing and footwear industry Wood and furniture industry Metal and engineering industry Printing and stationary industry Surgical tools and watch

industry

Other side of London

The other side of London was not pleasant. The fast growing metropolis faced 3 major –

Crime

Unemployment

Poor housing

Crimes Crimes flourished as London

developed and it soon became a great concern for the administrators.

Law and order was a big problem.

The philanthropists were worried about public morality.

Industrialists wanted their laborers to be honest and hardworking.

Measures against Crime The names of the people who made a

living from crime were first noted.

It was found that most of them were poor, they committed small thefts for their very existence.

Some of them became cheats, tricksters and pickpockets .

To contain these criminal activities, the authorities imposed high penalties for crime and offered jobs to those who were considered the “deserving poor”.

Unemployment Large number of women were employed

in factories during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Women gradually lost their industrial jobs as technology developed, and were forced to work within the household.

Soon there were a quarter of a million of domestic servants in London.

Children were forced to work by their parents to supplement the family income.

Compulsory Elementary Education Act and the Factory Acts ensured that the children were not exploited.

Poor HousingHousing became a serious problem in London when people

began pouring into the city after the industrial revolution. The one-room houses occupied by the poor were

overcrowded, badly ventilated and lacked sanitation. This was a serious threat to public health.

These tenements did not have any fire safety measure. There was fear of wide spread social disorder.

Transportation

London became the world’s largest city from about 1831 to 1925. This growth was aided by London’s 1st railways, which put countryside towns within easy reach of the city. Raising traffic on the city roads led to the creation of the world’s 1st metro system– The London Underground– in 1863, driving further expansion and urbanization. Because of this rapid growth, London became one of the first cities in the human history to reach a population of 1 million, and was the first ever to surpass 5 million.

Benefits of the London Underground

Population in the city became more dispersed.

Better-planned suburbs and a good railway network enabled large numbers to live outside Central London and travel to work.

These new conveniences wore down social distinctions.

Leisure and Consumption As the need for recreation increased

among the working class, cultural events such as the opera, the theatre and classical music performances increased.

Working classes also met in pubs to drink and exchange news.

Many new types of large-scale entertainment for the common people came into existence.

In the 19th century Library, art galleries and museums were built.

music halls and cinemas became popular among the lower classes.