The Industrial Revolution
"The Industrial Dream"
Alright now, look! It’s the 18th Century,
And things just haven’t changed much.
But listen to this real quick…
With so many problems in the world today,
It’s kind of hard F-A-R-M-ing OK?
No time to play sports or sit back,
No time to watch shows or spit raps.
When farm technology improved,
Farmland gave us more food. Cool!
What should we do with this extra food?
Let’s make babies and feed it to them with a spoon.
So the population boomed,
Doubling in Europe, and then doubling again soon.
With more kids, we need more clothes,
We can’t stitch by those hand, oh no!
I’ll build a mill with machines that sew,
Textile industry is looming, yo.
James Watt had a dream these machines,
Would work better on steam, so we’ve seen:
More steam, more coal, more slums, more smoke,
Less time, less space, life is less slow.
More middle class, more time for lamping,
More lamps and I don’t mean the kind for camping.
Whoa, I’m sending out an SOS; I can’t help myself,
I’ve got the brand new Morse code.
Telegraph is like sending a text,
So wave bye-bye to the Pony Express,
See ya!
We chase the industrial dream,
Where power moves from man's hands to machines.
Combustion, electricity and steam,
A new socio-economic regime. (x2)
Oh hey, come and work in my factory,
You can be any age. "10?" Yeah, exactly.
You could be a girl, too, that’s ok,
As long as you don’t mind all work and no breaks.
Pay’s cheap, you’ll be packing meat sitting in seat,
You’ll get beat if you ever fall asleep.
You’re in pain? Of course, you’re in labor!
Pack your own lunch; we’re not catered.
Slip up? And I hope you brought gauze,
Mess around and you could get a finger chopped off.
This is How the Other Half Lives,
In a crib-sized crib full of dirty little kids.
In slums and tenements, it’s evident,
Nothing sweet for the poor, no Entenmann’s.
This city’s big now, and it’s filthy,
You’re a victim of the system, feel me?
This free enterprise got my money on the rise,
Got my pockets full of green faces, face it.
I’d like to buy Adam Smith a drink,
Capitalism’s sweet; I don’t know what y’all think! ("Jolly good!")
Communism, oooh, I don’t think so,
I want to be a fat cat sitting in a mink coat.
You want us all paid the same, Karl Marx?
Pay the lead actors the same as the small parts?
Forget that, I’m riding these trains,
If you’re poor on the tracks, better get out my way!
For real son, move, run,
You’re on blast: It’s the Industrial Revolution.
We chase the industrial dream,
Where power moves from man's hands to machines.
Combustion, electricity and steam,
A new socio-economic regime. (x2)
Flocab Spits Facts
The Lunarticks
Capitalism, Socialism & Cows
History Speaks
Check out the complete Industrial Revolution lesson plan.
History was moving slowly. And so were people's lives. It's true that notable events and changes did occur. But for the most part, daily human life wasn't changing much at all.
Few people ever left their hometowns. Leisure and sports barely existed. There were very few shops of any kind. Instead of shopping for things, people made them. All members of the family worked all day simply to survive.
Think of your own life. You probably make lots of choices: What to do after school. What sports to play. What you want to be when you grew up. For thousands of years, very few humans had those options. That is, until the Industrial Revolution.
Few people ever left their hometowns. Leisure and sports barely existed. There were very few shops of any kind. Instead of shopping for things, people made them. All members of the family worked all day simply to survive.
Think of your own life. You probably make lots of choices: What to do after school. What sports to play. What you want to be when you grew up. For thousands of years, very few humans had those options. That is, until the Industrial Revolution.
What is the Industrial Revolution?
Suddenly, the Industrial Revolution changed everything. The Industrial Revolution brings to mind smoky factories and puffing trains. But it was much more than just those new inventions. The technology of the Industrial Revolution turned daily life upside down: What to eat. Where to live. How to work, travel, communicate and simply spend the day. The Industrial Revolution set off an explosion of change, and history hasn't stopped flying since.
Suddenly, the Industrial Revolution changed everything. The Industrial Revolution brings to mind smoky factories and puffing trains. But it was much more than just those new inventions. The technology of the Industrial Revolution turned daily life upside down: What to eat. Where to live. How to work, travel, communicate and simply spend the day. The Industrial Revolution set off an explosion of change, and history hasn't stopped flying since.
An advertisement for new farming technology
What caused the Industrial Revolution?
Though the Industrial Revolution would later influence all nations, the technology explosion began in England. All of the ingredients for change were there. A strong economy with riches brought back from the New World. A new interest in science after the Enlightenment. A stable government and social structure. Lots and lots of coal that could power new factories. And maybe most importantly, a huge population that could work in the new factories and buy what the factories made.
Though the Industrial Revolution would later influence all nations, the technology explosion began in England. All of the ingredients for change were there. A strong economy with riches brought back from the New World. A new interest in science after the Enlightenment. A stable government and social structure. Lots and lots of coal that could power new factories. And maybe most importantly, a huge population that could work in the new factories and buy what the factories made.
Where did all these people come from?
In 1700, Jethro Tull invented the seed drill, an invention that made planting crops easier. This invention, along with new forms of breeding and crop rotation, set off the agricultural revolution. With farming easier than ever before, people had more food to eat. Improved nutrition made people healthier, and they started living longer. This resulted in a huge population boom in England. And the same was true across the continent. In the 1800s, the population of Europe doubled, growing from 100 million to 200 million people. By 1900, the population had doubled again. Europe was now home to 450 million people!
In 1700, Jethro Tull invented the seed drill, an invention that made planting crops easier. This invention, along with new forms of breeding and crop rotation, set off the agricultural revolution. With farming easier than ever before, people had more food to eat. Improved nutrition made people healthier, and they started living longer. This resulted in a huge population boom in England. And the same was true across the continent. In the 1800s, the population of Europe doubled, growing from 100 million to 200 million people. By 1900, the population had doubled again. Europe was now home to 450 million people!
World population growth. The population boomed after the Industrial Revolution!
What did all these new people wear?
These extra millions of people couldn't just wander around naked. They needed something to wear! The new demand for textiles, or cloth used for clothing and blankets, inspired inventors to create better ways of making material. The first textile factories began to open in the 1740s. At the start, these factories were built alongside rivers. The flow of the river moved giant water wheels, which powered the machines inside. And these new machines made weaving and knitting much easier. In 1973, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, a device that picked seeds out of cotton. Workers could now clean cotton 50 times as fast as before.
These extra millions of people couldn't just wander around naked. They needed something to wear! The new demand for textiles, or cloth used for clothing and blankets, inspired inventors to create better ways of making material. The first textile factories began to open in the 1740s. At the start, these factories were built alongside rivers. The flow of the river moved giant water wheels, which powered the machines inside. And these new machines made weaving and knitting much easier. In 1973, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, a device that picked seeds out of cotton. Workers could now clean cotton 50 times as fast as before.
The Cotton Gin
All dressed up and no place to go? Enter the steam engine.
You’ve seen steam coming off a hot drink or from the shower. Steam was nothing new in the 1700s, but Thomas Newcomen and James Watt realized that they could use steam in a much more powerful way: to power machines. Here's how it worked, in a nutshell: You burn coal, which heats water. The steam from the boiling water rises up and moves a piston. When the steam condenses, the piston moves back down. This piston can then power whatever machine you want to hook it up to. The invention of the steam engine meant you didn't need to be next to a river to build a factory. And your factory could make more stuff faster.
You’ve seen steam coming off a hot drink or from the shower. Steam was nothing new in the 1700s, but Thomas Newcomen and James Watt realized that they could use steam in a much more powerful way: to power machines. Here's how it worked, in a nutshell: You burn coal, which heats water. The steam from the boiling water rises up and moves a piston. When the steam condenses, the piston moves back down. This piston can then power whatever machine you want to hook it up to. The invention of the steam engine meant you didn't need to be next to a river to build a factory. And your factory could make more stuff faster.
How a steam locomotive works
How did people get around?
Building off the work of Watt, Richard Trevithick invented the steam locomotive, or a train that runs on steam power. The first public steam locomotive left the station in 1825. Suddenly, the world started to get a little bit smaller. The planet Earth didn't actually shrink, but the steam locomotive made it seem that way. Now, the average person could travel faster and farther than ever before. So could goods.
What were influential inventions from this time period?
Want to let someone know that an army has invaded your town and you need help? Just write a letter. Then give it to a guy on a horse. And he'll ride across the country to deliver your message. This all changed with invention of the telegraph in the 1840s. Using Morse Code, which was a way of representing the alphabet using dots and dashes, people could tap out messages and send them long distances over telegraph lines. Almost like an old-school text message.
People relied on candles and oil-burning lamps to see in the dark until Thomas Edison and a team of others invented the light bulb in the late 1800s. Suddenly people could work or play far into the night. And Louis Pasteur's study of germs in France helped to make people around the world much healthier.
Want to let someone know that an army has invaded your town and you need help? Just write a letter. Then give it to a guy on a horse. And he'll ride across the country to deliver your message. This all changed with invention of the telegraph in the 1840s. Using Morse Code, which was a way of representing the alphabet using dots and dashes, people could tap out messages and send them long distances over telegraph lines. Almost like an old-school text message.
People relied on candles and oil-burning lamps to see in the dark until Thomas Edison and a team of others invented the light bulb in the late 1800s. Suddenly people could work or play far into the night. And Louis Pasteur's study of germs in France helped to make people around the world much healthier.
Monet's painting, La Gare Saint-Lazare Paris, depicts a newly industrialized city.
An industrial factory
How did the Industrial Revolution change the way that people worked?
Because the textile and steam engine factories were so successful, factory owners began to open hundreds more. New factories meant many new jobs. Before the Industrial Revolution, most people worked in their homes or on farms. Now, men, women, boys and girls worked together in factories to produce modern products, such as textiles and iron.
Child laborers in a factory
What were conditions in factories like?
Conditions in factories were often brutal. Some children were forced to work from 5 a.m. until 9 p.m., and they were beaten if they fell asleep at the job. For most of these children, school was not even an option. On the job, dangerous tools on fast-moving assembly lines sometimes cut off peoples' fingers and arms and even killed them. Makes your history test seem a little less painful, right?
Conditions in factories were often brutal. Some children were forced to work from 5 a.m. until 9 p.m., and they were beaten if they fell asleep at the job. For most of these children, school was not even an option. On the job, dangerous tools on fast-moving assembly lines sometimes cut off peoples' fingers and arms and even killed them. Makes your history test seem a little less painful, right?
Did conditions improve for factory workers?
As factories became more widespread, people started fighting for the rights of factory workers. The Factory Act, or law, of 1802 began to limit the number of hours that children and women could work in Britain. As the century continued, the number of hours children could work decreased. Soon, children in factories were required to receive an education. Abuses in factories didn't fully end though. The American journalist Upton Sinclair wrote a book called The Jungle in 1906 that exposed the terrible conditions for workers in meatpacking factories. The fight for fair labor continues to this day.
As factories became more widespread, people started fighting for the rights of factory workers. The Factory Act, or law, of 1802 began to limit the number of hours that children and women could work in Britain. As the century continued, the number of hours children could work decreased. Soon, children in factories were required to receive an education. Abuses in factories didn't fully end though. The American journalist Upton Sinclair wrote a book called The Jungle in 1906 that exposed the terrible conditions for workers in meatpacking factories. The fight for fair labor continues to this day.
As a result of Upton Sinclair's book, The Jungle, laws were passed that mandated inspections of factories.
Where did people live?
Thousands of families moved from the country to the city, drawn by factory jobs. This urban migration made it easier for people to get to work. In many ways, though, the cities weren't ready for so many people. Many families lived in tenements, or overcrowded apartments. Often, outhouses and toilets drained to the same water people drank! You think this made people sick? Take a wild guess. Diseases like tuberculosis and smallpox spread quickly. Life expectancy was much lower in smoky cities than in the countryside. The factory owners grew richer and richer, while the workers stayed poor, sick and overworked.
Many people were angry about their difficult work conditions and poor housing. The photographer Jacob Riis published a book called How the Other Half Lives. It showed people how bad it was to live in urban slums. Governments had to do something about the terrible conditions. Eventually, cities began programs that we take for granted today, such as garbage removal and clean water and sewage management.
Thousands of families moved from the country to the city, drawn by factory jobs. This urban migration made it easier for people to get to work. In many ways, though, the cities weren't ready for so many people. Many families lived in tenements, or overcrowded apartments. Often, outhouses and toilets drained to the same water people drank! You think this made people sick? Take a wild guess. Diseases like tuberculosis and smallpox spread quickly. Life expectancy was much lower in smoky cities than in the countryside. The factory owners grew richer and richer, while the workers stayed poor, sick and overworked.
Many people were angry about their difficult work conditions and poor housing. The photographer Jacob Riis published a book called How the Other Half Lives. It showed people how bad it was to live in urban slums. Governments had to do something about the terrible conditions. Eventually, cities began programs that we take for granted today, such as garbage removal and clean water and sewage management.
A photo from Jacob Riis's book, How the Other Half Lives
How did living conditions vary based on social class?
In present-day cities, people often choose a neighborhood to live in based on how much money they make. But during the Industrial Revolution, you could tell a person's social class based on what floor he or she lived on. The richest families lived on the first floor, because it was a luxury to not have to climb up stairs. As each floor—and number of steps—increased, the families became poorer and the apartments became more crowded. The middle class lived on floor two, followed by artists and poor workers. The maids often lived in the basement or on the top floor. This all changed with the invention of the elevator. Without the sweat of climbing up stairs, your neighborhood—not your floor—showed your social status.
In present-day cities, people often choose a neighborhood to live in based on how much money they make. But during the Industrial Revolution, you could tell a person's social class based on what floor he or she lived on. The richest families lived on the first floor, because it was a luxury to not have to climb up stairs. As each floor—and number of steps—increased, the families became poorer and the apartments became more crowded. The middle class lived on floor two, followed by artists and poor workers. The maids often lived in the basement or on the top floor. This all changed with the invention of the elevator. Without the sweat of climbing up stairs, your neighborhood—not your floor—showed your social status.
People's lives sound pretty bad. Did anything good come from the Industrial Revolution?
In the new industrial society, people did not have to work all day to simply survive. Because of increased division of labor, families no longer had to make their own food, clothing and shelter. As people began to fight for better wages and work fewer hours in factories, they began to have more free time. The growing middle class began to take the time to enjoy leisure activities. Families took vacations on steam engines or began to watch new sports. Men kept working in factories. Women began to tend to the home. And children went to school. The new industrial society began to resemble our current society.
In the new industrial society, people did not have to work all day to simply survive. Because of increased division of labor, families no longer had to make their own food, clothing and shelter. As people began to fight for better wages and work fewer hours in factories, they began to have more free time. The growing middle class began to take the time to enjoy leisure activities. Families took vacations on steam engines or began to watch new sports. Men kept working in factories. Women began to tend to the home. And children went to school. The new industrial society began to resemble our current society.
What sort of economy let the revolution develop?
The Industrial Revolution probably wouldn't have been possible if powerful kings were making all the economic decisions. Instead, England and America had capitalist or free enterprise economies. A country's economy is the way that goods and services are bought, sold and distributed. Under the capitalist system, if you think that a lot of people want to buy slippers that look like puppies, you can start a business making them. You can become a business owner, or entrepreneur. And the more people want your puppy slippers, the more money you can make.
The Industrial Revolution probably wouldn't have been possible if powerful kings were making all the economic decisions. Instead, England and America had capitalist or free enterprise economies. A country's economy is the way that goods and services are bought, sold and distributed. Under the capitalist system, if you think that a lot of people want to buy slippers that look like puppies, you can start a business making them. You can become a business owner, or entrepreneur. And the more people want your puppy slippers, the more money you can make.
Adam Smith
What are the good and the bad of capitalism?
Adam Smith famously wrote about the benefits of capitalism in his book The Wealth of Nations. Capitalism can be good because it inspires business owners to make better products so they can sell more. The downside of free enterprise is that business owners often have little reason to pay or treat workers well. This was true throughout the Industrial Revolution. Business owners became rich at the expense of their workers' lives.
What were alternatives to capitalism?
Karl Marx and Frederick Engels believed that capitalism was the cause of trouble for workers. They argued that workers were the whole reason that business owners were successful, so workers should have more rights, power and money. In their 1848 book, The Communist Manifesto, they described new economic systems called socialism and communism. Marx and Engels imagined a world where the government would own everything and give citizens the same amount of money. There would be no social classes, and people would have equal rights. True communism means complete government control of the economy, while true free enterprise is no government control at all. Socialism is somewhere in between.
These ideas may have sounded great at the time. But like capitalism, communism caused many problems, especially at the hands of dictators in the twentieth century.
Karl Marx and Frederick Engels believed that capitalism was the cause of trouble for workers. They argued that workers were the whole reason that business owners were successful, so workers should have more rights, power and money. In their 1848 book, The Communist Manifesto, they described new economic systems called socialism and communism. Marx and Engels imagined a world where the government would own everything and give citizens the same amount of money. There would be no social classes, and people would have equal rights. True communism means complete government control of the economy, while true free enterprise is no government control at all. Socialism is somewhere in between.
These ideas may have sounded great at the time. But like capitalism, communism caused many problems, especially at the hands of dictators in the twentieth century.
Karl Marx
When did the Industrial Revolution reach other countries?
As the nineteenth century marched on, the conditions that made the Industrial Revolution possible in England spread to other countries. Belgium, France, the United States and Japan all began to strongly industrialize in the mid-to-late 1800s. In America, for example, the population in 1900 was more than five times what it was in 1830. In that same time span, America went from having just 23 thousand miles of railway to 219 million.
As the nineteenth century marched on, the conditions that made the Industrial Revolution possible in England spread to other countries. Belgium, France, the United States and Japan all began to strongly industrialize in the mid-to-late 1800s. In America, for example, the population in 1900 was more than five times what it was in 1830. In that same time span, America went from having just 23 thousand miles of railway to 219 million.
What are the effects today?
By the time the twentieth century rolled around, the most industrialized countries held the most power. These included the United States, Britain, Germany and Japan. And the spirit of invention and change never stopped. Since the Industrial Revolution, modern countries continue to value new technology that helps make lives easier. In fact, the speed of innovation keeps increasing. Think of all the inventions you use today that didn't exist ten years ago.
By the time the twentieth century rolled around, the most industrialized countries held the most power. These included the United States, Britain, Germany and Japan. And the spirit of invention and change never stopped. Since the Industrial Revolution, modern countries continue to value new technology that helps make lives easier. In fact, the speed of innovation keeps increasing. Think of all the inventions you use today that didn't exist ten years ago.
James Watt was a member of an exclusive club called the Lunar Society. The society got its name because its members met when there was a full moon (lunar means "related to the moon"). Members of the society included scientists, inventors, artists and thinkers. They called themselves the "Lunarticks." Even though they studied different subjects, their diverse backgrounds ended up helping them think about ideas in new ways. Do you find it helpful to get advice from people with different experiences?
One way to think about the differences between capitalism, communism and socialism is to imagine that you own a cow. In a capitalist society, you own your cow, sell the milk, and if the milk is good, you can buy more cows and become richer. In a communist society, the government owns your cows and everyone else's cows, and everyone shares all the milk. In a socialist society, you can sell some of your milk. The government will take the rest, but it will give you money if you get hurt or lose your job. With this cow example in mind, what benefits and problems can you find with capitalist, communist and socialist economies?
"I sell here, Sir, what all the world desires to have—Power."
—Matthew Boulton, James Watt's business partner
"The degradation of the workpeople baffles all description: frequently have two of my sisters been obliged to be assisted to the factory and home again, until by-and-by they could go no longer, being totally crippled in their legs."
—John Wright, a silk mill worker testifying in court about terrible factory conditions
—Matthew Boulton, James Watt's business partner
"The degradation of the workpeople baffles all description: frequently have two of my sisters been obliged to be assisted to the factory and home again, until by-and-by they could go no longer, being totally crippled in their legs."
—John Wright, a silk mill worker testifying in court about terrible factory conditions
Click here for the complete lesson plan.
