4. The industrial revolution and the class-

based society4th ESO

Maira Gil Camarón

1. The beginning of the Industrial Revolution: GREAT BRITAIN

Industrial Revolution: the process through which technological advances led to economic changes. Agriculture became less important than industry, and industrial capitalism emerged. The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain in about 1750

The causes of the Industrial Revolution Population growth

18th century, living conditions improved across Europe. Increases in food production and advances in hygiene and medicine (smallpox vaccine) growth in population

The Agricultural Revolution18th century: agricultural production increased and crops became more varied. Improvements:Small, family-owned farms were replaced by extensive agricultural holdings

ENCLOSURE: The closed system increased productivity because farms grew bigger and because it became easier for farmers to try out new crops and farming techniques. Farmers also started investing more in improving their land fewer people needed to work in agriculture, they were available to work in factories during the Industrial Revolution

Mechanisation of agricultureAnimal and mineral fertilisers were widely usedCrop rotation was introduced

Increased TradeForeign trade increased because the country dominated trade routes in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Domestic trade also grew due to an increase in demand, the absence of internal customs duties and improvements to roads and waterways

Technological advancesThe start of the machine age Machines were the key element of industrialisationThe modern steam engine was invented by James Watt in 1769. It used coal as a fuel. Steam power became the source of energy that drove the new machines. This had a huge effect on agriculture (ploughing the soil or threshing cereal).In industry, steam engines were also widely used (to mould iron and print books).In mining, they were used to dig out tunnels.In transport they were used to power trains and steamships.

The consequences of the Industrial Revolution Population growth encouraged agricultural and

industrial development demand for food and manufactured products. There were more workers available to work in the factories

Agricultural improvements enabled population growth and industrial developments because it was possible to produce enough food for the growing population, and raw materials and capital to invest in industry

Increased trade encouraged industrial development because the profits from trade were invested in industry

Mechanisation products could be produced more quickly and in greater quantities that products were cheaper to produce

Key elements of industrialization The textile industry

The mechanisation of the textile industry through the invention of the spinning machine and the mechanical weaving loom caused an increase in production. Prices were reduced because production costs were lower than beforeThe large size and the expense of the new mechanical looms brought about the birth of the factory: large buildings were needed to house the machines and workers. In the factories a new way of working developed: the division of labour, in which each worker was responsible for a different part of the production process

Iron and textile industryThe development of the iron and steel industry was facilitated by the use of coal as a source of energy. This produces a lot of heat, so it was used to melt large quantities of iron in blast furnacesTechniques such as the Bessemer converter allowed foundries to transform iron into steel in large quantities, as well as producing a better quality product

The Transport RevolutionImprovements to the waterways and roads played an important part in the IR raw materials and goods were transported easily and quicklyThe invention of the steam locomotive by Richard Trevithick, the steamship by Robert Fulton and the opening of the first public railway by George Stephenson made possible to move large quantities of products more quickly during the 19th century, the extent of a country’s railway network was the main indicator of its level of industrialisation

Stephenson’s “Rocket”, steam locomotive

2.Industrialization in the rest of Europe and USA

During the 19th century, the IR spread to other European countries such as Germany, Belgium and France. They had the needed conditions for industrialization:

Abundant reserves of coal and iron (raw materials and energy sources for industry)

Population growth which created demand for industrial products

Capital for investment in industry Well-developed railway networks which facilitated the

transport of the products

In France, the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars slowed down the process of industrialization, but in the mid 19th century there was a significant industrial growth

Prussia began its industrial take-off with the Zollverein, or customs union. The key elements here were the construction of an extensive railway network, its naval industry and the abundance of mineral resources (coal) ZOLLVEREIN was formed between the 38 states of the German

Confederation in 1834 during the Industrial Revolution to create a better trade flow and reduce internal competition

The industrialization of the USA. USA started the process of industrialization in the mid 19th century, and it was enabled by its trade links with Great Britain, which exported machinery to the USA. In addition, the application of new agricultural techniques to lands in the West and the large amounts of raw materials in this region also assisted industrial development

Industrialization in Spain Agricultural changes

Slow process that began later than in other European countries because of various problems:

Domestic demand was limited: 70% of the working population were peasants with insufficient income to buy manufactured goods Spain was an agrarian country.

The poor quality of coal from Spanish mines and the lack of local technology meant that machinery had to be imported from other countries

Insufficient domestic capital available for investment in industry: it came from abroad (France, Great Britain) and it was concentrated in railway construction and mining

In the 19th century, two industries became important:The cotton industry: Cataluña The iron and steel industry, which started in Málaga and

later was established in Asturias and then in Vizcaya

3. The class-based societyAt the end of the 18th century, a new form of social organisation began to emerge. It replaced the old estates system. In the new class-based society, people’s status depended on their wealth and their job, rather than other family background

The origin of the class-based societyIt took place as a result of the late-18th century revolutions.

The French Revolution abolished the privileges of the nobility and the clergy. It brought about the legal end of the estates system

The Industrial Revolution increased the importance and power of the wealthy bourgeoisie, as they were the factory and business owners. A new group was formed: the working class, which was made up of industrial workers

The characteristics of the class-based societyPeople’s class was determined by their wealth, and it was more open: people’s class could change depending on the wealth they possessed or obtainedAll citizens were equal before law (at least in theory), although there were great economic inequalities between classes, which meant that this was an unequal society

Society was divided into three groups: UPPER CLASS (the wealthiest people):

The wealthy bourgeoisie that obtained large profits from their businesses and became the dominant social groupThe nobility, who continued to receive high incomes from their agricultural holdings

MIDDLE CLASS (medium level of wealth):Civil servants, lawyers and doctors who provided servicesSmall-scale merchants and craftsmen who owned their workshops or shopsFarmers who owned small agricultural holdings and cultivated their lands

WORKING CLASS (they lived in extreme poverty):Industrial workers, the proletariat, who worked in factories. They did not own property and their wages were usually lowTenant farmers, who rented agricultural land in order to cultivate it, and agricultural labourers, who did seasonal work and were paid by the day

Spanish society: it was different due to the country’s relative lack of industrialisation, which limited the growth of the industrial bourgeoisie and the urban proletariat

The upper class was made up of an oligarchy consisting of large landowners, business owners and bankers. They dominated Spanish politics

The middle class was growing in urban centres: civil servants, lawyers, architects, doctors and members of the military

The working class, included great number of peasants, tenant farmers, day labourers (Andalucia), and a limited industriat proletariat (Cataluña)

Life in the industrial cityDuring the 19th century, the European urban population was growing faster than the rural population for the first time. Many people moved from the countryside to the cities to work in industry New buildings were built and infrastructure was developed large, noisy and polluting factories appeared, and modern railway stationsNew neighbourhoods were built for the middle class and for the working class differences between them reflected social inequality and the differences between classes

4. The working-class movement Industrial working conditions

As industrial capitalism grew, the differences between the wealthy industrial bourgeoisie and the working class increased

Wealthy bourgeoisie industrialisation = higher standards of living

Working class industrialisation meant:Wages were too low to support a family: women and children had to work (with lower wages than men)The working day was extremely long and exhausting (14-16 hours a day)Lack of safety and hygiene chronic illnesses and accidentsWorkers had no rights: in case of accident, illness… they lost their wages and could be dismissedWorkers did not have the right to protest or strike

The origin of working-class politicsThe bad conditons of the working class led to protests against the factory owners, but they thought that improved conditions would reduce their profits. In addition, the principles of economic liberalism (state non-intervention in the economy) allowed the factory owners to carry out their businesses without restrictionsIn the early 19th century the proletariat in Great Britain began to organise itself in opposition to the factories and to the government

LUDDITESFIRST TRADE UNIONSCHARTIST MOVEMENT

The government and factory owners were forced to concede some of their demands. The working day was reduced and laws were passed that improved working conditions