Industrial Revolution In Britain

The Industrial revolution has changed our history and has influenced the way we live today. It began first in late 16th century in Britain, and was a series of changes in trade, technology, agriculture and manufacturing. A few of the foundations of the industrial revolution was development in agriculture and economy, the cascade of scientific discoveries and the politics and culture in Britain.

The development in agriculture and as a result the increasing economy was a big factor as to why the Industrial Revolution happened in Britain. The pre-industrial societies were based on the cultivation and ownership of land, this was a vast foundation for social hierarchies where the highest classes owned the land and the lowest worked in them. Every

Cultural changes could be seen everywhere and the politics had a strong influence in the industrial revolution. Before the industrial revolution, people lived and worked on farms. Goods were made by hand and animals provided power. During this time however people left the past behind, and a new middle class was created, consisting of industrialists and businessmen. Workers left their farms and moved to work in the cities. It was during this time that the concept of urbanisation were created. With more and more people to fit into one city, and not enough space, it resulted in cramped housing conditions. Whole families lived in small flats only meant for one person. The houses had no proper sewage system so waste was collected and eventually thrown in the rivers. This lead to rivers such as the Thames River becoming so heavily polluted that it 's waters could no longer use them as a source of water for humans. Diseases spread rapidly because of these terrible living conditions, but there was always another worker ready to replace the one that had died. A lot of women were left widows because of this. The women therefore also started taking up jobs such as coal mining and factory work to support their families. Even children took smaller jobs to help with the families finances. They were however mistreated and many suffered injuries from the machines used for factory work. Workers didn 't have any rights. Factory owners took advantage of this and mistreated their workers for their own benefits. Industrialisation resulted in a growing population and the urbanisation phenomenon. With an increase in people moving to the city in search of employment, some individuals became very wealthy while others had to live in the previously mentioned horrible conditions. The living standard was increased and desires could be attained because of the new and various industries. Which included clothes, royal china manufacturing, and