Britain, in particular, had specific advantages during the first Industrial Revolution. Before the first Industrial Revolution, Britain underwent an Agricultural Revolution, which resulted in faster yield times for crops. The main invention that kickstarted this was something called the “seed drill”, which was invented in 1720. This device distributed seeds in the soil and drastically increased the production and growth rate of various crops. In turn, this lowered the cost of these crops, which then gave way to much of the economic gain seen in the early stages of the Revolution. Because of this, as well as the use of fertilizer, Britain grew 2.5 times as many crops as France per acre, giving it an edge in leading the first Industrial Revolution.
Britain saw a massive population growth during a twenty-year period within the Industrial Revolution, growing from 120 million to 190 million people. The population growth Britain underwent demanded faster yields of various foods. Along with the Agricultural Revolution increasing crop yield, the introduction of selective breeding by a British agriculturist named Robert Bakewell (1725-1795), helped feed the growing population. He is known for more than doubling the average yield of meat per-cow. This gave Britain an advantage economically as well, due to cattle being a form of currency.
Another key contributor to Britain’s success during the early Industrial Revolution is an invention called the “Spinning Jenny”. This device, which was invented in 1764 in Britain, drastically sped up the process of manufacturing textiles (cloth), which resulted in more factory jobs. Unfortunately, this advancement also led to an increase in child labor. Children as little as five would assist in the manufacturing of textiles, and thus be exposed to dangerous conditions in the factories. Temperatures in the factories were high, and hygiene was not prioritized at all––causing many workers (children and adults), to fall ill.
Transportation was also a key factor in Britain’s early success during this era. The perfected design of the Steam Engine by James Watt, as well as Britain’s canals in a region known as the “Midland”, both led to increased trade and imports. Because of these advancements, a manufacturing boom ensued. By the late 1700s, white-collar jobs increased, and fifty-percent of people worked outside of agriculture. This was up from 25% in the 1500s.
The impacts that the Industrial Revolution had on Europe and the World are both positive and negative. The positives that stemmed from this era affected people’s lives daily, and gave way to future technological advancements in Science and Medicine. Transportation, trade, and communications, all changed for the better because of the Industrial Revolution––in particular, the second Industrial Revolution, which had more of a focus on improving the daily lives of people.
Unfortunately, many negatives also came as a result of this era as well. During the Industrial Revolution, because of increased urbanization, a growing number of people known as “The Urban Poor” arose. During this time, it was common to have up to eight families living in one home, due to of rising housing costs and the growing wealth of the now-emerging middle class or “Middling Sort”. People outside of the “Middling Sort” had to do what they could to survive; many relied on handouts (Christian charity). This is in part because the Middling Sort believed that the poor deserved to be poor––they believed that an individual was poor because of his morals, life choices, etcetera, rather than things outside of their control.
The two main political spheres that developed because of this period were Classical Liberalism and Socialism. Classical Liberalism opposed democracy and any form of government intervention, and had a strong focus on individual liberty. However, it is important to note that Classical Liberalism is very different from Modern Liberalism, which is far more tolerant of government intervention. Socialism involved the belief that revolutions occur because of materialistic conditions, rather than ideas. This mindset and political tradition was founded by Karl Marx (1818-1883). However, “Socialism” as an umbrella term is internally divided. Within Socialism, there are Marxists, Non-Marxists, Democratic Socialists, and Revolutionists. “Socialism” was embraced by Britain during the second Industrial Revolution in around 1870 to 1880. Both of these traditions laid the path for radical political change in Western Europe and the New World.
They both brought many positive and negative consequences as a result of the Industrial Revolution.