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Causes of the Industrial Revolution
December 8, 2013 | | Comments Off on Causes of the Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution first began in Great Britain in the early 19th century. Great Britain had gained a excess of capital from their profits from their global trading system. Their navy was the best in the world which allowed them to dominate overseas commerce. This excess capital allowed for people to invest in the economy and promote internal production.
In the late 18th century, farmers began to move from subsistence farming to commercial farming. They began to produce more on more land causing a lot of people to move to the city where there were jobs. Farmers learned techniques that improved soil health which allowed farmers to produce food year round. This eventually caused an abundance of food, which caused food prices to go down and population to rise.
Population also rose because after the Napoleon wars there was no military conflict which allowed society to avoid the civilian hardships that would come with conflict. Food supplies became more secure and the prices decreased allowing for more spending in the economy. There also became an increase in personal hygiene which limited the number of diseases there were and helped increase life expectancy.
There was an extensive canal system and railroad system which connected the country and allowed for goods to be transported to where they could’t before. The new textile machines, like the cotton gin and the spinning jenny helped create the first industry for textiles. They began to coal mine and created a national banking system.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcAprrlW6K8[/youtube]
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Written by: Maryfay Jackson
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