Effects of Industrial Revolution in the World
Industrial Revolution
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In the 1700s, the world was on the verge of a great change – the industrial revolution. By the end of the eighteenth century, the industrial revolution was well under way in England and would spread to the rest of Europe, the United States, and Japan during the next hundred years. Before the industrial revolution, Europe and the rest of the world were rural societies. Over three quarters of the population lived on farms, and in the busiest of countries only a few hundred thousand out of several million lived in towns and cities.
Tools and the few machines that existed then were made mostly from wood. European products were handmade and the power to operate these tools came from human muscles. The only other available power sources were wind and water, but the use of wind and water-powered machinery was restricted to places where the wind and water power was reliable. Therefore, what’s known as the domestic system was used.
The domestic system is a form of manufacturing in which goods were produced in the homes, either alone or in very small groups. A few industries used simple factories, single-room buildings or workshops for the manufacture of luxury goods, such as cloth and the production on certain military weapons. “This world of cottage industries and wooden tools was about to be transformed. After the industrial revolution, only traces of this former existence would remain.” (Corrick, 12)
The industrial revolution began in eighteenth-century England. England had money and natural resources, but most importantly, people. The industrial revolution required both workers and consumers. England had a population boom in the 1700s due to cured diseases, healthier childbirths, and more and better food. Economic historian Phyllis Deane says, “Without the rising demand for goods…which reflected…the growth of population, there would have been less incentive for British producers to expand…and hence some of the dynamism
[pic]
In the 1700s, the world was on the verge of a great change – the industrial revolution. By the end of the eighteenth century, the industrial revolution was well under way in England and would spread to the rest of Europe, the United States, and Japan during the next hundred years. Before the industrial revolution, Europe and the rest of the world were rural societies. Over three quarters of the population lived on farms, and in the busiest of countries only a few hundred thousand out of several million lived in towns and cities.
Tools and the few machines that existed then were made mostly from wood. European products were handmade and the power to operate these tools came from human muscles. The only other available power sources were wind and water, but the use of wind and water-powered machinery was restricted to places where the wind and water power was reliable. Therefore, what’s known as the domestic system was used.
The domestic system is a form of manufacturing in which goods were produced in the homes, either alone or in very small groups. A few industries used simple factories, single-room buildings or workshops for the manufacture of luxury goods, such as cloth and the production on certain military weapons. “This world of cottage industries and wooden tools was about to be transformed. After the industrial revolution, only traces of this former existence would remain.” (Corrick, 12)
The industrial revolution began in eighteenth-century England. England had money and natural resources, but most importantly, people. The industrial revolution required both workers and consumers. England had a population boom in the 1700s due to cured diseases, healthier childbirths, and more and better food. Economic historian Phyllis Deane says, “Without the rising demand for goods…which reflected…the growth of population, there would have been less incentive for British producers to expand…and hence some of the dynamism
Bibliography: Corrick, James A. The Industrial Revolution. San Diego, California: Lucent Books, 1998. McCannon, John. Barron’s AP World History 3rd Edition. Hauppauge, New York: Barron’s Educational Series, 2008. Nardo, Don. Modern Japan. San Diego, California: Lucent Books, 1995