Scale of the Industrial Revolution
Origin stories
The Industrial Revolution changed a lot about the world. Inventors created new machines that could do more work faster than people or work animals could. Machine-powered factories were built. These changes affected almost every part of society. It changed where and how people worked. It changed how kids spent their time. It even changed what people ate and how long they lived.
Where did the Industrial Revolution begin? Historians have often asked that question. Different “scales” should be considered. Another question is why industrialization happened there. Would those reasons be local or would they be global?
Looking for answers helps us understand our history.
Early industrial sites in Great Britain. By WHP, CC BY-NC 4.0.
The scale of the first industrialization
The Industrial Revolution is a big idea. But seeing certain historical objects can help us picture it. We can see James Watt’s steam engine. We can see Richard Arkwright’s machine for spinning thread. We can see the first steam-powered factories. Interestingly, all of these developments took place in Great Britain. The scale of industrialization—its size and effects—grew rapidly there in the 1700s.
Most historians now agree Great Britain was where the Industrial Revolution began. But soon after, factories sprang up in other parts of Europe. Machine-powered industries developed in the young United States.
Local causes of the first industrialization
Why did industrialization begin in Britain? Historians have different answers to this question. Some say special conditions in Britain itself led to industrialization. Others say it happened there because of trade and other global factors.
Let’s start with factors in Britain. Consider its geography. It is an island, which made it easy to protect. It was pretty peaceful at the time. It was also flat, making it easier to transport goods. Transportation is an important factor in industrialization. Railroads and canals were needed to carry coal from mines to factories. Plus, Britain had a lot of coal to burn as fuel.
Goods produced in factories were in high demand as the number of consumers grew. Soap, advertised here by a company called Pears which still exists, was especially important because the industrial revolution was really grimy! Public domain.
Britain’s population helped industrialization, too. It was growing rapidly in the 1700s. Death rates fell. Birthrates rose. In other words, there were plenty of workers to run machines in factories. Why? Partly because wealthy people were buying farms. That meant a lot of farmers switched to factory work.
With fewer farmers, how did Britain feed the growing number of workers? The answer is the agricultural revolution. It took place in the 1600s and 1700s. New tools and farming practices helped farmers. They were able to produce more food with fewer people. These changes took place faster in Britain than in other parts of the world.
Such developments changed how people’s needs were met. Factory workers had to buy food instead of growing it. They had to buy clothes instead of making them. Where did many of these goods come from? Factories. The demand for goods led to more industrialization.
There was also a growing middle class. This group consisted of people like merchants and professionals. They had more money, and they wanted more factory-made goods. They also had money to invest in new inventions and factories.
This growing middle class also gained power in government. They owned property. Laws were passed to protect their property and investments. So, it became better for them to invest in Britain than elsewhere.
Global causes of the first industrialization
Some scholars, though, say global factors were more important than local factors. In the late 1700s, Britain was a world power. It had a powerful navy and many trading ships. It had colonies in many parts of the world.
British merchants and leaders had made a lot of money from the Atlantic trade in enslaved people and the plantation system. They could invest that money in inventions and factories.
British colonies supplied raw materials for British industry. Lumber came from North America. Wool was shipped from Australia. These colonies also supplied food for people back in Britain. Sugar came from British territories in the Caribbean. Fish came from the coasts of North America.
Docks built in London to handle trade from the colonies, eighteenth century. Notice how flat it is. By SMU Central University Libraries, public domain.
Trade also boosted British industrial production. British goods were shipped to other countries. They were also exported to British colonies. Port cities like London grew to handle more ships. Railways expanded to move goods from factories to the ports.
The Industrial Revolution changed the world, as well as Britain. Was its leading role because of local or global factors? The most accurate answer is both. Looking at the debate from both scales helps us understand what really happened.
Trevor Getz
Trevor Getz is Professor of African and World History at San Francisco State University. He has written or edited eleven books, including the award-winning graphic history Abina and the Important Men, and co-produced several prize-winning documentaries. He is also the author of A Primer for Teaching African History, which explores questions about how we should teach the history of Africa in high school and university classes.
Image credits
This work is licensed under CC BY 4.0 except for the following:
Cover: Watercolour by Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827). Richard Trevithick (1771-1833), Cornish engineer and locomotive pioneer, was responsible for building the world’s first steam locomotive to operate on rails, the ‘Coalbrookdale’ of 1803. © Photo by SSPL / Getty Images.
Early industrial sites in Great Britain. By WHP and George Chakvetadze, Alliance USA, LLC, CC BY-NC 4.0.
Goods produced in factories were in high demand as the number of consumers grew. Soap, advertised here by a company called Pears which still exists, was especially important because the Industrial Revolution was really grimy! Public domain. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pears_Soap_1900.jpg
Docks built in London to handle trade from the colonies, eighteenth century. Notice how flat it is. By SMU Central University Libraries, public domain. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_View_of_the_East_India_Docks._(13889384460).jpg
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