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.

• More on this later!