The Industrial Revolution Class 11 History

 Page 1


                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
Theme 9 The Industrial Revolution
Meaning of Industrial Revolution
A major change in industries by which goods produced in houses by hands 
were replaced by those in factories with the help of machines.
Sources
? Works of Arnold Toynbee: Lectures on the Industrial Revolution 
in England: Popular Addresses, Notes and Other Fragments.
? Works of historians T S Ashton,Paul Mantoux and Eric Hobsbawm
First Industrial Revolution
The transformation that occurred in the industrial and economic sectors in 
Britain during 1780s and 1850s is called as the ‘first industrial revolution’. 
The initial focus of first industrial revolution was on textiles. The 
consequences of this revolution changed permanently the human labour, 
consumption, family structures and social structure.
The term ‘Industrial Revolution’ 
Georges Michelet in France and Frederic Engels in Germany were the 
scholars who used the term ‘Industrial Revolution’ for the first time. Arnold 
Toynbee, an English economist used it first time in English, when he was 
giving lectures at Oxford University.
Factors that led to Industrial Revolution in Britain.
? Britain was the first industrialized nation, because of its political 
stability from the 17
th
century onwards and unification of Wales 
and Scotland with England under monarchy.                                                                       
? This stability paved the way for the common law, a single 
monetary system and currency with a single market. All these 
enabled authorities to impose proper taxes on goods that passed 
through these unified regions.
? By the end of the 17
th
century, the prices of goods increased and 
money became the medium of exchange.
? People got choice of spending money as well as expansion of their 
market for the sale of goods.
? England witnessed a major economic change known as 
‘agricultural revolution’ in the 18
th
century.
? This was the process of enclosure in which bigger landlords bought 
up small farms near their properties and enclosed the village 
common lands.
? Large estates were created and resulted in the increase in the food 
production.
? Landless farmers and those who lived by grazing animals on the
common lands were forced to search for jobs somewhere else. 
Most of them shifted to nearby towns.
Causes of Industrial Revolution
Points to be Explained
? Political Stability
? Unified under monarchy
? Common laws
? Single Currency
? Taxes on Goods
? Wages and Salaries
? Bank of England Founded in 1964
? India as Colony
? Invention of Steam engine
? Agricultural Revolution
? Markets
? Invention of Machines
? Introduction of Railways and Canals
? Abundance of Coal and Iron
? Investment of Capital
Page 2


                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
Theme 9 The Industrial Revolution
Meaning of Industrial Revolution
A major change in industries by which goods produced in houses by hands 
were replaced by those in factories with the help of machines.
Sources
? Works of Arnold Toynbee: Lectures on the Industrial Revolution 
in England: Popular Addresses, Notes and Other Fragments.
? Works of historians T S Ashton,Paul Mantoux and Eric Hobsbawm
First Industrial Revolution
The transformation that occurred in the industrial and economic sectors in 
Britain during 1780s and 1850s is called as the ‘first industrial revolution’. 
The initial focus of first industrial revolution was on textiles. The 
consequences of this revolution changed permanently the human labour, 
consumption, family structures and social structure.
The term ‘Industrial Revolution’ 
Georges Michelet in France and Frederic Engels in Germany were the 
scholars who used the term ‘Industrial Revolution’ for the first time. Arnold 
Toynbee, an English economist used it first time in English, when he was 
giving lectures at Oxford University.
Factors that led to Industrial Revolution in Britain.
? Britain was the first industrialized nation, because of its political 
stability from the 17
th
century onwards and unification of Wales 
and Scotland with England under monarchy.                                                                       
? This stability paved the way for the common law, a single 
monetary system and currency with a single market. All these 
enabled authorities to impose proper taxes on goods that passed 
through these unified regions.
? By the end of the 17
th
century, the prices of goods increased and 
money became the medium of exchange.
? People got choice of spending money as well as expansion of their 
market for the sale of goods.
? England witnessed a major economic change known as 
‘agricultural revolution’ in the 18
th
century.
? This was the process of enclosure in which bigger landlords bought 
up small farms near their properties and enclosed the village 
common lands.
? Large estates were created and resulted in the increase in the food 
production.
? Landless farmers and those who lived by grazing animals on the
common lands were forced to search for jobs somewhere else. 
Most of them shifted to nearby towns.
Causes of Industrial Revolution
Points to be Explained
? Political Stability
? Unified under monarchy
? Common laws
? Single Currency
? Taxes on Goods
? Wages and Salaries
? Bank of England Founded in 1964
? India as Colony
? Invention of Steam engine
? Agricultural Revolution
? Markets
? Invention of Machines
? Introduction of Railways and Canals
? Abundance of Coal and Iron
? Investment of Capital
                                                                                           
? Use of money as medium of exchange
? Labour Supply
? Global Significance of London
Emergence of London
? The 18
th
century England witnessed the growth of many towns and 
population. 
? Out of 19 European cities, whose population doubled between 
1750 and 1800, 11 cities were in Britain.
? London was the largest city in England and was the hub of markets 
as well. London was a significant city for global trade.
? By 18
th
century global trade shifted from Mediterranean ports of 
Italy and France to the Atlantic ports of Holland and Britain.
? London became the place for international trade by replacing 
Amsterdam.
? London also became a centre of a triangular trade between 
England, Africa and the West Indies.
Development of Transport System
? Rivers and coastline facilitated the movement of goods in England.
? Transport by waterways was cheaper and faster than land until the 
introduction of the railways.
? During 1724, Rivers in England provided 1,160 miles of navigable 
water. Except for the mountainous regions, other areas were within 
the 5 miles of a river.
? Rivers provided easy movement of coastal ships (coasters) since
all rivers flew into the sea.
Development of Financial System in England
? The financial system of England was implemented by the Bank of 
England, which was founded in 1694.
? By 1784, there were more than hundred banks. By 1820s it 
increased to more than 600 Banks.
? London alone had 100 provincial Banks.
Iron Industry
? England was having a plenty of iron and coal resources, which 
were required for mechanization. 
? It was also rich in other minerals such as lead, copper and 
tin, which were required for industries. 
? But till the 18
th
century England was not having usable 
iron due to the poor method of smelting. 
? For smelting iron ore, charcoal was used and this method 
had many defects such as charcoal was too brittle to 
transport across long and distances, its impurities 
produced poor quality iron, it was in short supply and it 
failed to generate high temperatures.
Invention of Blast Furnace
? A family of iron-masters, the Darbys of Shropshire, 
brought about a revolution in the method of iron smelting. 
? Three generations of their family developed a method for 
smelting iron ore. It was blast furnace. 
? The blast furnace used coke that generated high 
temperature and replaced the use of charcoal. 
? The process was further refined by more inventions.
? The second Darby (1711-68) developed wrought iron(less 
brittle) from pig iron. 
? Henry Cort (1740-1823) developed the puddling furnace 
and the rolling mill which used steam power to roll 
purified iron into bars. 
? Now a broader range of products could be produced. 
? In 1770s, John Wilkinson made the first iron chairs, vats 
and iron pipes of varied sizes.
? In 1779, DarbyIII (1750-91) built the first iron bridge in 
the world in Coalbrookdale.
Page 3


                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
Theme 9 The Industrial Revolution
Meaning of Industrial Revolution
A major change in industries by which goods produced in houses by hands 
were replaced by those in factories with the help of machines.
Sources
? Works of Arnold Toynbee: Lectures on the Industrial Revolution 
in England: Popular Addresses, Notes and Other Fragments.
? Works of historians T S Ashton,Paul Mantoux and Eric Hobsbawm
First Industrial Revolution
The transformation that occurred in the industrial and economic sectors in 
Britain during 1780s and 1850s is called as the ‘first industrial revolution’. 
The initial focus of first industrial revolution was on textiles. The 
consequences of this revolution changed permanently the human labour, 
consumption, family structures and social structure.
The term ‘Industrial Revolution’ 
Georges Michelet in France and Frederic Engels in Germany were the 
scholars who used the term ‘Industrial Revolution’ for the first time. Arnold 
Toynbee, an English economist used it first time in English, when he was 
giving lectures at Oxford University.
Factors that led to Industrial Revolution in Britain.
? Britain was the first industrialized nation, because of its political 
stability from the 17
th
century onwards and unification of Wales 
and Scotland with England under monarchy.                                                                       
? This stability paved the way for the common law, a single 
monetary system and currency with a single market. All these 
enabled authorities to impose proper taxes on goods that passed 
through these unified regions.
? By the end of the 17
th
century, the prices of goods increased and 
money became the medium of exchange.
? People got choice of spending money as well as expansion of their 
market for the sale of goods.
? England witnessed a major economic change known as 
‘agricultural revolution’ in the 18
th
century.
? This was the process of enclosure in which bigger landlords bought 
up small farms near their properties and enclosed the village 
common lands.
? Large estates were created and resulted in the increase in the food 
production.
? Landless farmers and those who lived by grazing animals on the
common lands were forced to search for jobs somewhere else. 
Most of them shifted to nearby towns.
Causes of Industrial Revolution
Points to be Explained
? Political Stability
? Unified under monarchy
? Common laws
? Single Currency
? Taxes on Goods
? Wages and Salaries
? Bank of England Founded in 1964
? India as Colony
? Invention of Steam engine
? Agricultural Revolution
? Markets
? Invention of Machines
? Introduction of Railways and Canals
? Abundance of Coal and Iron
? Investment of Capital
                                                                                           
? Use of money as medium of exchange
? Labour Supply
? Global Significance of London
Emergence of London
? The 18
th
century England witnessed the growth of many towns and 
population. 
? Out of 19 European cities, whose population doubled between 
1750 and 1800, 11 cities were in Britain.
? London was the largest city in England and was the hub of markets 
as well. London was a significant city for global trade.
? By 18
th
century global trade shifted from Mediterranean ports of 
Italy and France to the Atlantic ports of Holland and Britain.
? London became the place for international trade by replacing 
Amsterdam.
? London also became a centre of a triangular trade between 
England, Africa and the West Indies.
Development of Transport System
? Rivers and coastline facilitated the movement of goods in England.
? Transport by waterways was cheaper and faster than land until the 
introduction of the railways.
? During 1724, Rivers in England provided 1,160 miles of navigable 
water. Except for the mountainous regions, other areas were within 
the 5 miles of a river.
? Rivers provided easy movement of coastal ships (coasters) since
all rivers flew into the sea.
Development of Financial System in England
? The financial system of England was implemented by the Bank of 
England, which was founded in 1694.
? By 1784, there were more than hundred banks. By 1820s it 
increased to more than 600 Banks.
? London alone had 100 provincial Banks.
Iron Industry
? England was having a plenty of iron and coal resources, which 
were required for mechanization. 
? It was also rich in other minerals such as lead, copper and 
tin, which were required for industries. 
? But till the 18
th
century England was not having usable 
iron due to the poor method of smelting. 
? For smelting iron ore, charcoal was used and this method 
had many defects such as charcoal was too brittle to 
transport across long and distances, its impurities 
produced poor quality iron, it was in short supply and it 
failed to generate high temperatures.
Invention of Blast Furnace
? A family of iron-masters, the Darbys of Shropshire, 
brought about a revolution in the method of iron smelting. 
? Three generations of their family developed a method for 
smelting iron ore. It was blast furnace. 
? The blast furnace used coke that generated high 
temperature and replaced the use of charcoal. 
? The process was further refined by more inventions.
? The second Darby (1711-68) developed wrought iron(less 
brittle) from pig iron. 
? Henry Cort (1740-1823) developed the puddling furnace 
and the rolling mill which used steam power to roll 
purified iron into bars. 
? Now a broader range of products could be produced. 
? In 1770s, John Wilkinson made the first iron chairs, vats 
and iron pipes of varied sizes.
? In 1779, DarbyIII (1750-91) built the first iron bridge in 
the world in Coalbrookdale.
                                                                                           
Results of the use of Blast Furnace
? Due to the use of blast furnaces, the British iron industry 
quadrupled its output between 1800 and 1830, and its 
product were the cheapest to be available in Europe.
? In 1820, a ton of pig iron needed8 tons of coal to make it, 
but by 1850 it could be produced by using only 2 tons. 
? By 1848, Britain was smelting more iron than other 
countries in the world.
Cotton Industry
? Important raw materials for textile industry in England 
were wool and flax. 
? From 17
th
century onwards, the East India imported bales 
of cotton cloth from India. 
? Later East India Company established its political control 
in India and started importing along with cotton cloth, raw 
cotton, which was woven in England. 
? Till the early18th century spinning was very slow and 
consumed a lot of labour due to the lack of good 
technology. 
? To make it even more proficient, production gradually 
shifted from the homes of spinners and weavers to 
factories.
? During 1780s the cotton industry symbolized British 
Industrialization.
? Raw cotton was entirely imported and finished cloth was 
exported.                                                                             
? Inventors and Inventions:
? John Kay (1704-64) invented flying shuttle loom in 1733.
? James Hargreaves (1720-78) invented the spinning jenny 
in 1765.
? Richard Arkwright (17332-92) invented the water frame 
in 1769.
? Samuel Crompton (1753-1827) invented the mule in 
1779.
? Edmund Cartwright (1743-1823) invented the power 
loom in 1787.
Steam Power
? During the industrial revolution, the realization that steam 
could generate tremendous power was important for large 
scale industrialization. 
? Water had been an important source of energy for 
centuries but its use was determined by area, season and 
the flow of water. 
? It was realized that steam power was the only source of 
energy that was reliable and inexpensive enough to 
manufacture machinery itself.
? Invention of steam power and its improvement boosted 
the industrialization.
? Steam power was first used in mining industries.
Main inventors of the steam power
? Thomas Savery (1650-1715) built a model steam engine 
called the Miner’s Friend in 1698, whose purpose was to 
drain the water that entered into the coalmines.
? Thomas Newcomen (1663-1729) built another steam 
engine in 1712.This had the major defect of losing energy 
due to continuous cooling of condensing cylinder.
? James Watt (1736-1819) built a final and perfect steam 
engine whose significance was that it converted steam 
engine from mere pump into a ‘prime mover’ 
providing more energy to power generating 
machines in the factories. Before this invention, the 
steam engine had been used only in coal mines.
? James Watt established the Soho Foundry, with the 
support of a wealthy manufacture Matthew Boulton, from 
where his steam engines were produced.
Construction of Canals
? Initially canals were built to transport coals to cities. 
Page 4


                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
Theme 9 The Industrial Revolution
Meaning of Industrial Revolution
A major change in industries by which goods produced in houses by hands 
were replaced by those in factories with the help of machines.
Sources
? Works of Arnold Toynbee: Lectures on the Industrial Revolution 
in England: Popular Addresses, Notes and Other Fragments.
? Works of historians T S Ashton,Paul Mantoux and Eric Hobsbawm
First Industrial Revolution
The transformation that occurred in the industrial and economic sectors in 
Britain during 1780s and 1850s is called as the ‘first industrial revolution’. 
The initial focus of first industrial revolution was on textiles. The 
consequences of this revolution changed permanently the human labour, 
consumption, family structures and social structure.
The term ‘Industrial Revolution’ 
Georges Michelet in France and Frederic Engels in Germany were the 
scholars who used the term ‘Industrial Revolution’ for the first time. Arnold 
Toynbee, an English economist used it first time in English, when he was 
giving lectures at Oxford University.
Factors that led to Industrial Revolution in Britain.
? Britain was the first industrialized nation, because of its political 
stability from the 17
th
century onwards and unification of Wales 
and Scotland with England under monarchy.                                                                       
? This stability paved the way for the common law, a single 
monetary system and currency with a single market. All these 
enabled authorities to impose proper taxes on goods that passed 
through these unified regions.
? By the end of the 17
th
century, the prices of goods increased and 
money became the medium of exchange.
? People got choice of spending money as well as expansion of their 
market for the sale of goods.
? England witnessed a major economic change known as 
‘agricultural revolution’ in the 18
th
century.
? This was the process of enclosure in which bigger landlords bought 
up small farms near their properties and enclosed the village 
common lands.
? Large estates were created and resulted in the increase in the food 
production.
? Landless farmers and those who lived by grazing animals on the
common lands were forced to search for jobs somewhere else. 
Most of them shifted to nearby towns.
Causes of Industrial Revolution
Points to be Explained
? Political Stability
? Unified under monarchy
? Common laws
? Single Currency
? Taxes on Goods
? Wages and Salaries
? Bank of England Founded in 1964
? India as Colony
? Invention of Steam engine
? Agricultural Revolution
? Markets
? Invention of Machines
? Introduction of Railways and Canals
? Abundance of Coal and Iron
? Investment of Capital
                                                                                           
? Use of money as medium of exchange
? Labour Supply
? Global Significance of London
Emergence of London
? The 18
th
century England witnessed the growth of many towns and 
population. 
? Out of 19 European cities, whose population doubled between 
1750 and 1800, 11 cities were in Britain.
? London was the largest city in England and was the hub of markets 
as well. London was a significant city for global trade.
? By 18
th
century global trade shifted from Mediterranean ports of 
Italy and France to the Atlantic ports of Holland and Britain.
? London became the place for international trade by replacing 
Amsterdam.
? London also became a centre of a triangular trade between 
England, Africa and the West Indies.
Development of Transport System
? Rivers and coastline facilitated the movement of goods in England.
? Transport by waterways was cheaper and faster than land until the 
introduction of the railways.
? During 1724, Rivers in England provided 1,160 miles of navigable 
water. Except for the mountainous regions, other areas were within 
the 5 miles of a river.
? Rivers provided easy movement of coastal ships (coasters) since
all rivers flew into the sea.
Development of Financial System in England
? The financial system of England was implemented by the Bank of 
England, which was founded in 1694.
? By 1784, there were more than hundred banks. By 1820s it 
increased to more than 600 Banks.
? London alone had 100 provincial Banks.
Iron Industry
? England was having a plenty of iron and coal resources, which 
were required for mechanization. 
? It was also rich in other minerals such as lead, copper and 
tin, which were required for industries. 
? But till the 18
th
century England was not having usable 
iron due to the poor method of smelting. 
? For smelting iron ore, charcoal was used and this method 
had many defects such as charcoal was too brittle to 
transport across long and distances, its impurities 
produced poor quality iron, it was in short supply and it 
failed to generate high temperatures.
Invention of Blast Furnace
? A family of iron-masters, the Darbys of Shropshire, 
brought about a revolution in the method of iron smelting. 
? Three generations of their family developed a method for 
smelting iron ore. It was blast furnace. 
? The blast furnace used coke that generated high 
temperature and replaced the use of charcoal. 
? The process was further refined by more inventions.
? The second Darby (1711-68) developed wrought iron(less 
brittle) from pig iron. 
? Henry Cort (1740-1823) developed the puddling furnace 
and the rolling mill which used steam power to roll 
purified iron into bars. 
? Now a broader range of products could be produced. 
? In 1770s, John Wilkinson made the first iron chairs, vats 
and iron pipes of varied sizes.
? In 1779, DarbyIII (1750-91) built the first iron bridge in 
the world in Coalbrookdale.
                                                                                           
Results of the use of Blast Furnace
? Due to the use of blast furnaces, the British iron industry 
quadrupled its output between 1800 and 1830, and its 
product were the cheapest to be available in Europe.
? In 1820, a ton of pig iron needed8 tons of coal to make it, 
but by 1850 it could be produced by using only 2 tons. 
? By 1848, Britain was smelting more iron than other 
countries in the world.
Cotton Industry
? Important raw materials for textile industry in England 
were wool and flax. 
? From 17
th
century onwards, the East India imported bales 
of cotton cloth from India. 
? Later East India Company established its political control 
in India and started importing along with cotton cloth, raw 
cotton, which was woven in England. 
? Till the early18th century spinning was very slow and 
consumed a lot of labour due to the lack of good 
technology. 
? To make it even more proficient, production gradually 
shifted from the homes of spinners and weavers to 
factories.
? During 1780s the cotton industry symbolized British 
Industrialization.
? Raw cotton was entirely imported and finished cloth was 
exported.                                                                             
? Inventors and Inventions:
? John Kay (1704-64) invented flying shuttle loom in 1733.
? James Hargreaves (1720-78) invented the spinning jenny 
in 1765.
? Richard Arkwright (17332-92) invented the water frame 
in 1769.
? Samuel Crompton (1753-1827) invented the mule in 
1779.
? Edmund Cartwright (1743-1823) invented the power 
loom in 1787.
Steam Power
? During the industrial revolution, the realization that steam 
could generate tremendous power was important for large 
scale industrialization. 
? Water had been an important source of energy for 
centuries but its use was determined by area, season and 
the flow of water. 
? It was realized that steam power was the only source of 
energy that was reliable and inexpensive enough to 
manufacture machinery itself.
? Invention of steam power and its improvement boosted 
the industrialization.
? Steam power was first used in mining industries.
Main inventors of the steam power
? Thomas Savery (1650-1715) built a model steam engine 
called the Miner’s Friend in 1698, whose purpose was to 
drain the water that entered into the coalmines.
? Thomas Newcomen (1663-1729) built another steam 
engine in 1712.This had the major defect of losing energy 
due to continuous cooling of condensing cylinder.
? James Watt (1736-1819) built a final and perfect steam 
engine whose significance was that it converted steam 
engine from mere pump into a ‘prime mover’ 
providing more energy to power generating 
machines in the factories. Before this invention, the 
steam engine had been used only in coal mines.
? James Watt established the Soho Foundry, with the 
support of a wealthy manufacture Matthew Boulton, from 
where his steam engines were produced.
Construction of Canals
? Initially canals were built to transport coals to cities. 
                                                                                           
? Transporting coal by road was expensive and slower and was 
difficult task due to the bulk and weight of coal.
? The first English canal, the Worsely Canal was built in 1761 by 
James Brindley and its completion decreased the value of coal by 
half. 
? Canals were used for transporting coals. 
? The big business men built canals in order to increase the value of 
their mines, quarries or forests on their land.
? The construction of canals paved the way for the emergence of 
many new markets in new towns. 
? For example, Birmingham owed its growth to its position at the 
heart of the canal system connecting London, The British Channel 
and Mersey and Humber rivers.
? In the period known as the ‘canal mania’, from 1788 to 1796, 46 
projects for building 25 new canals were begun.
Invention of the Railways
? First steam locomotive (Stephenson’s Rocket) was invented by 
Stephenson in 1814.
? The railway transport emerged a new transport system providing 
cheaper and faster movement of goods. 
? The iron track replaced the wooden one in 1760s.
? Historians argue that the invention of railways took the 
industrialization to the second stage.
? Richard Trevithick devised an engine called ‘Puffing Devil’, in 
1801, which pulled truck around the mine. 
? In 1814, George Stephenson constructed a locomotive called ‘The
Blutcher’ that was capable of pulling a weight of 30 tons up a hill 
at 4 mph.
? All these developments paved the way for the development of the 
railway transport. 
? The first railway line was constructed between the cities of 
Stockton and Darlington in 1825 and next railway line connected 
Liverpool and Manchester in 1830.
? During ‘little railway mania’ from 1833-37,1400 miles of line was 
built and during the bigger ‘mania’ of 1844-47,another 9,500 
miles of line was sanctioned.
Changes in the lives of people
? During the period of industrial revolution, there were a lot 
changes in the lives of people. 
? Intelligent and talented got opportunities.
? Rich people invested their money during this period with 
a hope of getting more profit and multiplying their 
money.
? Wealth, incomes and productive efficiency increased.
? It also affected people negatively that could be seen in 
broken families, new addresses, degraded cities and 
pathetic working condition of workers in the factories. 
? The number of cities in England with a population of 
50,000 grew from 2 in 1750 to 29 in 1850.
? The growth of city did not bring adequate number of 
houses, sanitation and clean water.
? New comers were forced to live in crowded slums near to 
factories. 
? The rich people shifted to suburb areas, where they got 
clean air and water.
Condition of the Workers
? According to a survey in 1842, life expectancy of workers was 
lower compared to non-workers in the cities.
? The life expectancy in Birmingham was 15 years, in Manchester 
17 and in Derby 21 years.
? Many people died at young age and children lived only up to five 
in the new industrial cities. 
? Population in the cities increased not due to newborn babies but 
due to the immigrants from villages.
Page 5


                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
Theme 9 The Industrial Revolution
Meaning of Industrial Revolution
A major change in industries by which goods produced in houses by hands 
were replaced by those in factories with the help of machines.
Sources
? Works of Arnold Toynbee: Lectures on the Industrial Revolution 
in England: Popular Addresses, Notes and Other Fragments.
? Works of historians T S Ashton,Paul Mantoux and Eric Hobsbawm
First Industrial Revolution
The transformation that occurred in the industrial and economic sectors in 
Britain during 1780s and 1850s is called as the ‘first industrial revolution’. 
The initial focus of first industrial revolution was on textiles. The 
consequences of this revolution changed permanently the human labour, 
consumption, family structures and social structure.
The term ‘Industrial Revolution’ 
Georges Michelet in France and Frederic Engels in Germany were the 
scholars who used the term ‘Industrial Revolution’ for the first time. Arnold 
Toynbee, an English economist used it first time in English, when he was 
giving lectures at Oxford University.
Factors that led to Industrial Revolution in Britain.
? Britain was the first industrialized nation, because of its political 
stability from the 17
th
century onwards and unification of Wales 
and Scotland with England under monarchy.                                                                       
? This stability paved the way for the common law, a single 
monetary system and currency with a single market. All these 
enabled authorities to impose proper taxes on goods that passed 
through these unified regions.
? By the end of the 17
th
century, the prices of goods increased and 
money became the medium of exchange.
? People got choice of spending money as well as expansion of their 
market for the sale of goods.
? England witnessed a major economic change known as 
‘agricultural revolution’ in the 18
th
century.
? This was the process of enclosure in which bigger landlords bought 
up small farms near their properties and enclosed the village 
common lands.
? Large estates were created and resulted in the increase in the food 
production.
? Landless farmers and those who lived by grazing animals on the
common lands were forced to search for jobs somewhere else. 
Most of them shifted to nearby towns.
Causes of Industrial Revolution
Points to be Explained
? Political Stability
? Unified under monarchy
? Common laws
? Single Currency
? Taxes on Goods
? Wages and Salaries
? Bank of England Founded in 1964
? India as Colony
? Invention of Steam engine
? Agricultural Revolution
? Markets
? Invention of Machines
? Introduction of Railways and Canals
? Abundance of Coal and Iron
? Investment of Capital
                                                                                           
? Use of money as medium of exchange
? Labour Supply
? Global Significance of London
Emergence of London
? The 18
th
century England witnessed the growth of many towns and 
population. 
? Out of 19 European cities, whose population doubled between 
1750 and 1800, 11 cities were in Britain.
? London was the largest city in England and was the hub of markets 
as well. London was a significant city for global trade.
? By 18
th
century global trade shifted from Mediterranean ports of 
Italy and France to the Atlantic ports of Holland and Britain.
? London became the place for international trade by replacing 
Amsterdam.
? London also became a centre of a triangular trade between 
England, Africa and the West Indies.
Development of Transport System
? Rivers and coastline facilitated the movement of goods in England.
? Transport by waterways was cheaper and faster than land until the 
introduction of the railways.
? During 1724, Rivers in England provided 1,160 miles of navigable 
water. Except for the mountainous regions, other areas were within 
the 5 miles of a river.
? Rivers provided easy movement of coastal ships (coasters) since
all rivers flew into the sea.
Development of Financial System in England
? The financial system of England was implemented by the Bank of 
England, which was founded in 1694.
? By 1784, there were more than hundred banks. By 1820s it 
increased to more than 600 Banks.
? London alone had 100 provincial Banks.
Iron Industry
? England was having a plenty of iron and coal resources, which 
were required for mechanization. 
? It was also rich in other minerals such as lead, copper and 
tin, which were required for industries. 
? But till the 18
th
century England was not having usable 
iron due to the poor method of smelting. 
? For smelting iron ore, charcoal was used and this method 
had many defects such as charcoal was too brittle to 
transport across long and distances, its impurities 
produced poor quality iron, it was in short supply and it 
failed to generate high temperatures.
Invention of Blast Furnace
? A family of iron-masters, the Darbys of Shropshire, 
brought about a revolution in the method of iron smelting. 
? Three generations of their family developed a method for 
smelting iron ore. It was blast furnace. 
? The blast furnace used coke that generated high 
temperature and replaced the use of charcoal. 
? The process was further refined by more inventions.
? The second Darby (1711-68) developed wrought iron(less 
brittle) from pig iron. 
? Henry Cort (1740-1823) developed the puddling furnace 
and the rolling mill which used steam power to roll 
purified iron into bars. 
? Now a broader range of products could be produced. 
? In 1770s, John Wilkinson made the first iron chairs, vats 
and iron pipes of varied sizes.
? In 1779, DarbyIII (1750-91) built the first iron bridge in 
the world in Coalbrookdale.
                                                                                           
Results of the use of Blast Furnace
? Due to the use of blast furnaces, the British iron industry 
quadrupled its output between 1800 and 1830, and its 
product were the cheapest to be available in Europe.
? In 1820, a ton of pig iron needed8 tons of coal to make it, 
but by 1850 it could be produced by using only 2 tons. 
? By 1848, Britain was smelting more iron than other 
countries in the world.
Cotton Industry
? Important raw materials for textile industry in England 
were wool and flax. 
? From 17
th
century onwards, the East India imported bales 
of cotton cloth from India. 
? Later East India Company established its political control 
in India and started importing along with cotton cloth, raw 
cotton, which was woven in England. 
? Till the early18th century spinning was very slow and 
consumed a lot of labour due to the lack of good 
technology. 
? To make it even more proficient, production gradually 
shifted from the homes of spinners and weavers to 
factories.
? During 1780s the cotton industry symbolized British 
Industrialization.
? Raw cotton was entirely imported and finished cloth was 
exported.                                                                             
? Inventors and Inventions:
? John Kay (1704-64) invented flying shuttle loom in 1733.
? James Hargreaves (1720-78) invented the spinning jenny 
in 1765.
? Richard Arkwright (17332-92) invented the water frame 
in 1769.
? Samuel Crompton (1753-1827) invented the mule in 
1779.
? Edmund Cartwright (1743-1823) invented the power 
loom in 1787.
Steam Power
? During the industrial revolution, the realization that steam 
could generate tremendous power was important for large 
scale industrialization. 
? Water had been an important source of energy for 
centuries but its use was determined by area, season and 
the flow of water. 
? It was realized that steam power was the only source of 
energy that was reliable and inexpensive enough to 
manufacture machinery itself.
? Invention of steam power and its improvement boosted 
the industrialization.
? Steam power was first used in mining industries.
Main inventors of the steam power
? Thomas Savery (1650-1715) built a model steam engine 
called the Miner’s Friend in 1698, whose purpose was to 
drain the water that entered into the coalmines.
? Thomas Newcomen (1663-1729) built another steam 
engine in 1712.This had the major defect of losing energy 
due to continuous cooling of condensing cylinder.
? James Watt (1736-1819) built a final and perfect steam 
engine whose significance was that it converted steam 
engine from mere pump into a ‘prime mover’ 
providing more energy to power generating 
machines in the factories. Before this invention, the 
steam engine had been used only in coal mines.
? James Watt established the Soho Foundry, with the 
support of a wealthy manufacture Matthew Boulton, from 
where his steam engines were produced.
Construction of Canals
? Initially canals were built to transport coals to cities. 
                                                                                           
? Transporting coal by road was expensive and slower and was 
difficult task due to the bulk and weight of coal.
? The first English canal, the Worsely Canal was built in 1761 by 
James Brindley and its completion decreased the value of coal by 
half. 
? Canals were used for transporting coals. 
? The big business men built canals in order to increase the value of 
their mines, quarries or forests on their land.
? The construction of canals paved the way for the emergence of 
many new markets in new towns. 
? For example, Birmingham owed its growth to its position at the 
heart of the canal system connecting London, The British Channel 
and Mersey and Humber rivers.
? In the period known as the ‘canal mania’, from 1788 to 1796, 46 
projects for building 25 new canals were begun.
Invention of the Railways
? First steam locomotive (Stephenson’s Rocket) was invented by 
Stephenson in 1814.
? The railway transport emerged a new transport system providing 
cheaper and faster movement of goods. 
? The iron track replaced the wooden one in 1760s.
? Historians argue that the invention of railways took the 
industrialization to the second stage.
? Richard Trevithick devised an engine called ‘Puffing Devil’, in 
1801, which pulled truck around the mine. 
? In 1814, George Stephenson constructed a locomotive called ‘The
Blutcher’ that was capable of pulling a weight of 30 tons up a hill 
at 4 mph.
? All these developments paved the way for the development of the 
railway transport. 
? The first railway line was constructed between the cities of 
Stockton and Darlington in 1825 and next railway line connected 
Liverpool and Manchester in 1830.
? During ‘little railway mania’ from 1833-37,1400 miles of line was 
built and during the bigger ‘mania’ of 1844-47,another 9,500 
miles of line was sanctioned.
Changes in the lives of people
? During the period of industrial revolution, there were a lot 
changes in the lives of people. 
? Intelligent and talented got opportunities.
? Rich people invested their money during this period with 
a hope of getting more profit and multiplying their 
money.
? Wealth, incomes and productive efficiency increased.
? It also affected people negatively that could be seen in 
broken families, new addresses, degraded cities and 
pathetic working condition of workers in the factories. 
? The number of cities in England with a population of 
50,000 grew from 2 in 1750 to 29 in 1850.
? The growth of city did not bring adequate number of 
houses, sanitation and clean water.
? New comers were forced to live in crowded slums near to 
factories. 
? The rich people shifted to suburb areas, where they got 
clean air and water.
Condition of the Workers
? According to a survey in 1842, life expectancy of workers was 
lower compared to non-workers in the cities.
? The life expectancy in Birmingham was 15 years, in Manchester 
17 and in Derby 21 years.
? Many people died at young age and children lived only up to five 
in the new industrial cities. 
? Population in the cities increased not due to newborn babies but 
due to the immigrants from villages.
                                                                                           
? Deaths were caused by diseases like cholera and typhoids.In 1832 
more than 31,000 people died due to cholera.
? Until 19
th
century, the municipal authorities did not pay attention 
to solve the sufferings of the people. 
? The medical knowledge in understanding and curing these diseases 
was unknown.                                                   
Condition of Women and Children
? The industrial revolution brought about important changes in the 
way the women and children worked. 
? Before the industrial revolution, the children and the women 
worked either in farms or at home. 
? They worked under the watchful eyes of parents and relatives.
? Women in villages worked in farms; they reared livestock and 
gathered firewood or were involved in spinning cotton. 
? It was necessary for the women and the children to work and
support the meager earnings of men. 
? Industrialists’ preferred to employ women and children, who did 
not oppose the poor working conditions and work on lower wages 
than men. 
? The women were employed in cotton textile industry, silk –lace 
making and knitting industry. 
? While the children were often employed in metal industry, coal 
mines and cotton textile industry.
? So, women and children often worked long hours in inhumane 
working conditions. 
? The government took some time to decide that the working 
children and women should be protected by laws. 
? A number of laws were passed by the government to improve the 
working condition of the children and the women.
? In 1819 Laws were enacted prohibiting the employment of 
children under nine. Working hours for those who were between 
nine and sixteen years old was reduced from sixteen to 12 hours a 
day.
? In 1833, a law was enacted that permitted children under nine to 
work only in silk factories and limited working hours. It also 
enabled the appointment of many factory inspectors who ensured 
the rules prescribed in the law were followed strictly.
? In 1847, the Ten Hours Bill was passed making working hours as 
10 hours for women and young people. These laws applied only to 
textile industries and not to mines.
? The Mines Commission of 1842 was set up to look into the 
working condition in mines. It revealed that workers condition had 
worsened. Many laws were enacted.
? The Mines and Colliers Act of 1842 prohibited children and 
women from working in coalmines.
? Fielder’s Factory Act in 1847 declared that children under 18 
should not work more than 10 hours a day.
Repression of the Government and Protest movements
? England enacted two Combination Acts in1795 against inciting the 
people to protest. 
? These laws banned unauthorized public meetings of over 50 
persons/People protested against the ‘Old Corruption’. 
? Members of Parliament were against giving the right to vote to the 
working class people. 
? They supported the Corn Laws, which prevented the import of 
cheaper food till the prices in Britain had increased to a certain 
level.
? The workers flooding the towns and factories protested in order to 
show their anger and frustration. 
? There were food or bread riots from 1790 onwards.
? The trade in food items was in favour of traders and affected the 
poor people. 
? The workers seized stocks of bread and sold it at a correct cost 
rather than at the rate fixed by traders.                     
? Enclosure was a process from the 1770s.Under this process big 
landlords merged hundreds of small farms to form big farms. It