For all you history majors out there!!! ???

Question:why did the industrial revo. Take off in england? What were some of the inventions that helped on the spread of this event?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: why did the industrial revo. Take off in england? What were some of the inventions that helped on the spread of this event?

The Industrial Revolution of the late 18th and early 19th centuries was revolutionary because it changed -- revolutionized -- the productive capacity of England, Europe and United States. But the revolution was something more than just new machines, smoke-belching factories, increased productivity and an increased standard of living. It was a revolution which transformed English, European, and American society down to its very roots. Like the Reformation or the French Revolution, no one was left unaffected. Everyone was touched in one way or another -- peasant and noble, parent and child, artisan and captain of industry. The Industrial Revolution serves as a key to the origins of modern Western society. As Harold Perkin has observed, "the Industrial Revolution was no mere sequence of changes in industrial techniques and production, but a social revolution with social causes as well as profound social effects" [The Origins of Modern English Society, 1780-1880 (1969)].

The origins of the Industrial Revolution in England are complex and varied and, like the French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution is still a subject of a vast historical debate over origins, developments, growth and end results. This debate has raged among historians since at least 1884, when Arnold Toynbee (1852-1883), an English historian and social reformer, published the short book, Lectures on the Industrial Revolution in England. Toynbee was in a fairly good position to assess the revolution in industry -- England had, by the 1880s, endured more than a century of industrialization.

During the period known as the Industrial Revolution, we can see four distinct divisions. The first division, from 1730 to 1770 was the period of time when men such as Watt developed the woolen spinner, Kay gave us the flying shuttle, and Hargreaves the spinning jenny, all of which made the work of producing textiles faster and more efficient. It was also during this time period that Watt developed a steam engine which was more efficient and much and safer than the engine developed by Thomas Newcomen in 1705. It is important to note that, at this time, steam power was not put to use in the textile industries. They still relied on water power.

In the second period, extending from 1770 to 1792, the mechanical devices of the previous period were improved upon. The further advances during this time were to aid the cotton industry. Two important mechanical devices developed here were Crompton's spinning mule and later, Cartwright's power loom. The major problem that faced further industrialization at this time was a need to find something powerful enough to drive this new machinery. other than the water wheel which hampered the marketing of the woolen and cotton goods produced. Factories could only exist where there was a constant water supply.

At the onset of the third period, 1792 to 1830, steam power began to be applied to the earlier mechanical devices, making their use more efficient and widespread. In addition to using steam power to operate existing machinery, we see the addition of Whitney's cotton gin, Herrick's dressing machine, and the throttle.

The fourth period, 1830 to the early 1900's saw the further application of steam power to modes of transportation which aided in the marking of the goods produced. As a result of the steam engine trains began to become an integral part of transportation and opened the door for another method of transportation - the automobile. First, you had to control the steam then later came the internal combustion engine which led to a practical automobile.

In addition to these inventions, it should be stressed that Britain was the leader of this period because of the various conditions that existed in the country at the time.

There were several conditions that were involved:

(land, labor, capital the three factors of production)

(1) a large labor force as a result of the shift from agriculture to industry due to advances in agriculture;

(2) a large store of coal and iron ore as well as cotton from their colonies;

(3) wealth which supplied capital for investments to begin new businesses;

(4) entrepreneurs to organize and manage these businesses;

(5) a fleet of merchant ships;

(6) good geographical location with many ports and an excellent internal canal system to ship materials and goods;

(7) overseas colonies with which to trade and to use as sources of raw materials.

gatita_63109

This gives a pretty good discussion http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/le...

England at that time was a world leader and super power. Her empire spanned one third of the earth. The "staple industries" (ship building, coal, textiles and steel) as they where known were operating at peak performance. Also inventions in mechanics, (steam engines, electricity) breakthroughs in medicine and mathematics also helped promote the industrial revolution.

Interesting fact: The above industries employed the majority of the nations people, yet today there are more people employed in the restaurant business than in all 4 of the staple industries put together.