The first industrial revolution (IR) which occurred in 18th century Britain was a turning point which sculpted the modern economy and also laid the foundation of modern day production. The primary reasoning for the revolution occurring is the movement of mode of production. For example, the migration of production with the use of human labour to more mechanised production in factories. The origin of the IR and the reasoning why it took place in 18th century Britain is argued upon by many historians and thinkers. The two key economic historians I will be focusing on are David S. Landes and Kenneth Pomeranz. Their narratives of the origins of the IR differ in terms of why, how, when and where it happened. Landes argues that Britain was superior in comparison to other parts of the world and that it was the change in the mode of production and various innovations that caused the IR to occur. Whereas Pomeranz argues that Britain was struck by luck due to many key events taking place which caused Britain to consequently benefit from the industrial revolution. In this essay I will explain the narratives of both individuals and explain my conclusion as to why I believe Landes presented a better narrative in explaining the origin of the industrial revolution and the rise of the west.
According to Arnold Toynbee, “The essence of the industrial revolution is the substitution of competition for the medieval regulations which has previously controlled the production and distribution of wealth”. (Toynbee, 1884, 58). This meant that the IR was mainly based on the substitution of previous methods of production with new and improved methods. David S. Landes supported these factors with his arguments. He stated that “In the 18th century, a series of inventions transformed the British cotton manufacture and gave birth to a new mode of production- the factory system” (VLE, week 4). These innovations that changed Britain fell under three principles; the substitution of machines for human labour, the substitution of inanimate for animate sources of power and the substitution of minerals for vegetable or animal substances. These substitutions ultimately are what made the industrial revolution according to Landes. Landes argued that
The industrial revolution is the name given to the massive social economic and technological change which happened because there was developed working efficiency enhancing machineries, and initially manually run as “Spinning Jenny” but was especially enhanced by the invention of the steam engine and continued with electricity and increasingly automated machinery. In usual we split the industrial revolution into two different parts. The first which is more related to Great Britain towards the end of the 1700s, and the second one, which extended on to USA and Germany out the 1800s. Many historians reckon the industrial revolution as
The Industrial Revolution of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was arguably the most important turning point in history. It transformed the manufacture of goods from craftsmanship to commercialism, exponentially increasing output and decreasing production cost leading to prosperity and an unprecedented supply of goods for the markets of the world. Industrialization and mass production was the fuel which ignited the flame of capitalism which was already established creating bringing sweeping changes in wealth and its distribution. Within a few generations the very fabric of society was virtually remade as millions left the farms and villages of the countryside for jobs in the cities. This monumental change did not immediately sweep
The Industrial Revolution began in Britain during the late 1700s. It took place during the 18th and 19th centuries. Document 3 displays the look of the environment at the beginning of this shift in society. It is filled with smoky chimneys. Machines and factories led to great productions, such as new systems of transportation, more efficient communication, banking systems, a variety of manufactured goods, and an overall improvement of living. Britain was the perfect place for the Industrial Revolution to begin due to its coal and iron. Factories became a necessity because of the increase in demand for British goods (Staff, 2009). Before the Industrial Revolution, transportation consisted of wagons, led by horses. “In the early 1800s, American Robert Fulton built the first commercially successful steamboat” (Staff, 2009). Along
The Industrial Revolution is a pivotal period in human history that allowed for the complete transformation of rural life. First coined in the 1830s, the Industrial Revolution was an eruption of inventions, technical adaptations, and economic expansion. The origins of the Industrial Revolution are traced back to Great Britain, the first pioneer in Westernization and technological change. Britain’s well-developed banks, large potential labor force, and abundance of raw materials made Britain the most industrialized country in the world during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Although the Industrial Revolution brought beneficial changes to Britain and the countries that followed Britain’s path, industrialization provoked reform
The birth of the Industrial Revolution in England was a crucial point in history. Industrialization is the large-scale introduction of manufacturing, technological enterprises, and productive economic activity into an area. During this era, rural populations declined as people sought higher wage jobs. The speed at which goods were produced increased with new inventions. Farmers were able to support the growing population with efficient farming tools.
The United States attracted many immigrants as it gave opportunity to farm or work in urban areas, which was appealing for people like the Irish, who experienced famine and depression in their home, many Irishmen moved to America, and population wise
The Industrial Revolution became a defining transitional period in United States history. The Industrial Revolution created opportunities for society through, employment, higher pay and allowed for the meeting of many cultures. As a result of high employment opportunities, people flocked to the North and populated areas of the nation creating urban cities. Urban cities of the nation have not changed much since the Industrial Revolution; people are still drawn to the urban culture because of the variety in social and economic opportunities. The urban culture has allowed us to observe the interaction among various cultures and the development of the social class through time.
The Industrial Revolution in Britain in the late 1700s and early 1800s was one of the greatest contributions to improvement in the lives of people all around the world. It made the world an easier place to live in and helped to better living and working conditions. Many argue about what were the most important contributions to the success of the Industrial Revolution and most can easily be argued to show that they were very important, but Britain’s resources were crucial to the success of the revolution while its supply of labor and entrepreneurs were close secondary options of being one of the more important reasons for the revolution taking off.
Midway through the modern era, people learned how to make machines move by burning fuels. The first of these machines was the steam engine that burned coal to heat water that made steam that pushed a piston that turned a wheel. Goods that had always been made by hand in homes and shops were replaced by goods made in large quantities at lower cost by machines in factories.
The Industrial Revolution began in Britain between 1780 to 1850, and the cotton textile industry was essential to Britain’s economy. Several factors contributed to Britain’s role as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. For one, it had great deposits of coal and iron ore, which proved essential for industrialization and producing capital. Ultimately, it was Britain’s political stability that was achieved through mercantilism. It allowed them to become the world’s leading colonial power, which meant its colonies could serve as a source for raw materials, as well as a marketplace for manufactured goods. As demand for British goods, cotton, increased, merchants needed more cost-effective methods of production, which led to the rise of the factory system and technological innovation.
However, an excerpt from Landes’s book, The Unbound Peometheus, Western Europe had already been rich before the industrial revolution happened. “This wealth was a product of centuries of slow accumulation, based in turn on investment, the appropriation of extra-European resources and labor and substantial technological progress” (Landes 14). Some of the countries in Europe’s industrial revolution was a central priority due to the transformation it received. During the 18th century, different branches of industry influenced Britain in organizing their abundance and variety of these innovations under the three principles. These three principles included “the substitution of machines for human skill and effort; the substitution of inanimate for inanimate sources of power; the use of new and far more abundant raw materials” (Landes 41). These improvements, declared under the three principles, helped shape the industrial revolution in Britain.
Think about your life for one second: you communicate with people, travel, make purchases, and utilize those commodities. But have you ever wondered what made those things possible? After all, you go to the store to buy things you need. You drive a car to work and to visit your friends. If you need to talk to someone, you simply pick up your phone or computer. However, none of this would be possible without a means of communication, factories to manufacture the products you need, places to work, and ways to travel and transport goods. And what made these possible? The answer is the Industrial Revolution, which started in Europe around the year 1730. A revolution is a major change or turning point in something. The Industrial Revolution
There is no doubt that the Industrial Revolution plays a central role in the modern British history. The structure of British society has forever changed by the impact and consequences of Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution is often stated as the increase of the number of factories, the exercise of steam power in a wide range of area and the mass-production produced by new technology in the course of 1750 to 1850 (Lane, 1978: 72). Engles (1986: 37) argued that the Industrial Revolution’s mainly development were the invention of the steam engine and the cotton industry. As the improvement of technology, the steam engine could produce more power with less
This revolution would not be known as being “Industrial” without the aid of revolutionary machines permitting the creation of mass products at far less cost. As stated by author Michael
We are standing at the precipice of what some call the 4th Industrial Revolution. The 4th Industrial Revolution is being described as a technological revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work, and relate to one another. We are rapidly moving to an era where billions of people will be connected by mobile devices with unprecedented processing power and storage capacity. Our access to knowledge will be unlimited.