2. Causes & Effects of Industrial
Revolution
Population Increase (in
Europe)
With the introduction of crops from the Columbian Exchange like the
potato, nutrition vastly improved in European nations and the population
subsequently increased substantially. This new amount of people meant a
larger demand for many products – and thus a larger supply, meaning the
creation of the Industrial Revolution to provide these necessary items.
3. Causes & Effects of Industrial
Revolution
Adam Smith’s Laissez-Faire &
Capitalism
Adam Smith, educated at The University of Glasgow, wrote The Wealth of
Nations in 1776. His works chronicled how the European government could
augment their wealth by advocating certain economic policies. His
philosophy of “laissez-faire,” or “hands off”, relates heavily to
capitalism, which became a driving force during the Revolution and fueled
the Europeans and Americans to industrialize. Laissez-faire removed barriers
from factory owners and facilitated their growth by eliminating and
advocating the restriction of government-imposed laws that might hinder
economic growth.
4. Causes & Effects of Industrial
Revolution
A new banking system
After the Commerical Revolution, Europe developed a new financial system
that would fuel the new industry to take place. Expansion had in turn
created the concept of private banking, and new trading organizations also
formed, like the Hanseatic League. Credit organizations and new
government promissory notes helped facilitate consumer spending.
5. Causes & Effects of Industrial
Revolution
The Cottage Industry
As the 18th century waned, Europe was still primarily a farming oriented
land. The harsh winters however made agriculture a daunting task, so many
people took up textile making in their homes to provide a little extra income.
Such a modest industry became quite popular with urban merchants, and
thus the European economy was primed for the later Industrial Revolution
by the boost in trade that simultaneously occurred.
6. Causes & Effects of Industrial
Revolution
The Sewing Machine (courtesy of
Elias Howe)
With the advent of the sewing machine, patented in 1846, the average number
of stiches per minute changed from 35 to nearly 3000 – making mass
production of textiles possible for Europe’s new booming population. This
prompted the creation of “mill towns” (like Lowell in America) and offered
women an opportunity to enter the factory work force.
7. Causes & Effects of Industrial
Revolution
Chartism
English working men banded together and encouraged new political reforms
during the Revolution, including Chartism. Chartism demanded that there
be universal male suffrage, annual parliaments, vote by ballot, and abolition
of the property qualification. Such a movement garnered much support from
the poorest of the European social classes who were still in economic
depression despite the tough workdays and dangerous jobs of the
Revolution.
8. Causes & Effects of Industrial
Revolution
Nationalism, Imperialism and
Colonialism
With the Industrial Revolution came a boon in national pride, as well as the
need to seek new markets for the abundance of manufactured goods. Those
countries subjected to the Revolution looked to overseas colonies and
expansionism to rid themselves of excess goods and to gain new sources of raw
materials. The primary place for this expansion occurred in Africa, which was
almost entirely controlled by Europe by 1914.
9. Causes & Effects of Industrial
Revolution
In response to the social and safety
conditions created by the Industrial
Revolution raised by the Saddle Report in
1833, the UK Parliament implemented a
series of acts titled “The Factory Acts” that
limited work hours, ordained that
employers provide education and
lodging, required proper ventilation in
factories, set certain child labor laws (no
child under 9, no children under 18 working
night shifts, etc)., and dictated when women
would be allowed to work and for how
long.
The Factory Acts
10. Causes & Effects of Industrial
Revolution
Luddites & Luddism
Anger from workers became directed at employers who reduced wages and
began to replace skilled workers with unskilled workers who could be paid
less and still work the new machines of the Revolution. This movement (in
it’s extreme) became known as Luddism, where angered workers would
break into factories and demolish equipment. The events primarily occurred
in England, and although most violence was confined to factories, some of
the chaos ended up inflicting injury on actual people as well.
11. Causes & Effects of Industrial
Revolution
Broken Family Units
Because the Industrial Revoltion meant many family members would labor for
nearly eighteen hours a day, family contact was much reduced and tenement
housing meant squeezing families together. Child education suffered, nutrition
could also suffer and result in stunted growth, and behavior became an issue as
proper parenting skills were neglected. (It would be wrong to characterize all
social effects as negative, however, for by 1820 most workers made better wages
than before and mass starvation was reduced with the advent of some health
reforms for the slums.)
