Industrial Revolution

1
Industrial Revolution
2
Why England?

• Agricultural Revolution - increased food
  production lower prices greater purchase
  power
• Geo Factors - island nation combined w/ canal
  building of 1770s - move goods
• Geo Factors - large deposits of coal and iron -
  important raw materials for IR

3
Why England?

• Economic - supply of capital - effective central
  bank and well developed credit markets
• Economic - Entrepreneurs - a new middle class
  willing to risk capital

4
Why England?

• Political - stable government w/ limited economic
  controls
• Political - enclosure movement had created a
  labor force willing to move to urban areas

5
Why England?

• Had the markets - expanding Atlantic economy -
  trade w/ Americas

6
Cotton Textiles

• Cottage Industry/Domestic System/Putting Out
  System - becoming inefficient
• Kay - flying shuttle
• Hargreaves - spinning jenny
• Arkwright - water frame
• Crompton - spinning mule
• Cartwright - power loom

7
Steamthe game changer

• 1760s James Watt and steam engine
• Location not dependent on rivers
• 1787 Britain imported 22 million pounds of cotton
  - 1840 366 million
• Steam engine combined w perfection of iron
  railroads that transformed transportation

8
Watts steam engine
Steam tractor
9
Initial Effects of IR

• No more commando for lower class
• Wages of weavers went up
• Threat to handcraft workers
• Early factories resembled poor houses - thus
  child labor

10
Initial Effects cont.

• Railroad - iron and coal complimented to expand
  both industries
• New labor class willing to move
• Cheaper faster goods - more markets - reinvest
  capital - self perpetuating
• Change to daily life - cottage to factory whistle

11
Impact of Railroads
12
Continent after 1815

• Great Britain would lead the way up til WWI when
  finally U.S. and Germany passed
• Continent had been consumed by French Rev and
  Napoleon
• No free trade - tariffs toll stations on rivers
  drove prices up
• Not as willing as Brits to risk capital
  (conservatism)

13
The continent takes a different path

• 1) borrowed techniques practices from British
• John Cockerill - Belgium
• Fritz Harkort - Germany
• 2) Gov influence - tariffs
• France - high tariffs
• Germany - Zollverein - tariff union
• 3) Join-Stock Banks - Credit Mobilier in France

14
Social Implications

• 1) Urbanization
• 2) Struggle between labor capital
• 3) Working conditions
• 4) Economics the dismal science
• 5) Liberal reforms for workers
• 6) rise in standard of living

15
Urbanization

• 50 of Brits livied in cities by 1850
• Miserable conditions - sanitation chief concern
• Edwin Chadwick - reformer outlining probs
• 1848 Public Health Act

16
Labor v. Capital

• New group of factory owners and ind capitalists
  increase wealth of middle class
• New social relations - economic classes
• Haves and have-nots (proletariat)
• Marx - class consciousness

17
Working Conditions

• Unsafe, long hours (12 hr shifts)
• Sexual division of labor (less jobs women/paid
  less)
• Womans biological clock
• Balance work with running a home
• patriarchal tradition

18
Dismal Science

• Modern Capitalism - Adam Smith Invisible Hand
• Thomas Malthus - pop will outpace food supply to
  be checked by natural forces - poor should have
  less kids
• David Ricardo - Iron Law of Wages
• When wages are high, workers have more kids
• More children create a labor surplus that depress
  wages

19
Liberal Reforms

• Robert Owen attempted unsuccessfully to organize
  a nationalized trade union
• Luddites - skilled craftspeople that attacked and
  damaged machines
• Chartism - organized workers in Britain demanding
  universal male suffrage 1840s

20
Liberal Reforms

• Factory Act of 1833 - 8 hr day kids 9-13, 12 hrs
  kids 13-18
• Ten Hours Act - 13-18 10 hrs and women included

21
Rise in Standard of Living?

• No doubt early years tough for workers
• How do we quantify? Wages, employment, purchasing
  power
• Real wages increase after 1820
• No good stats on unemployment
• Av person earned/consumed 50 more in 1850 than
  1770
• Real winners middle class