The industrial revolution began in 1750, Britain, and by 1850s became the Workshop of the world, and lead us into the 20th century. There are many factors that could explain why Britain was the first industrialised economy. They had prime access to natural resources, especially coal. Britain was in the midst of an Agricultural revolution, which led to a decline in work, and an increase in population. Factories began to produce things cheaper because of mass production. This led to a development of a new class of people, the middle class. The most prominent factor of mid 19th century Britain being the birthplace of the industrial world is their prime access to natural resources, In particular, …show more content…
The invention of the steam engine proved to be a promising asset. The steam engine was the beginning of a new era. It all started when Thomas Savery thought of a way to effectively draw water from the mines- with steam. This engine then lead to the invention of the Newcomen engine- the modern steam engine. The invention of the steam engine lead to many inventions, including the steam train. Before the invention of the steam train, transportation of goods was slow, lethargic, and expensive. This is why when the steam train was first introduced, it was used widely to transport products all over …show more content…
A major contribution to this development was Lord Townshend’s new method for planting crops. This method ensured soil would be rich and full of nutrients all year long. It was called a crop rotation cycle, and was very successful. The cycle consisted of wheat, barley, oats, and clover. Livestock began to be bread stronger, healthier, and better producing animals. For example, sheep were only bread with the best quality wool. This innovative thinking continued throughout the Agrarian revolution, and led to inventions such as the spinning jenny, and the water frame. Both of these inventions improved the efficiency of yarn making. Because of these many developments during the Agrarian revolution, farmers were put out of work, and were forced to move to the cities to find work.
The agrarian revolution led to a decline of work, and forced the working class to move to the city, in order to find a job. Many of these people worked in developing factories, supporting the industry, making it possible for factories to produce more, faster. More and more people began to work in these factories, as more factories started to appear over Britain. Products produced by the factories were of high quality, yet quickly, efficiently and in bulk. This made production of things cheaper to manufacture, meaning they could be sold cheaper.