Concetti Chiave
- The Industrial Revolution in England (1760-1840) marked a shift to using new materials like iron and steel, and new energy sources such as coal and steam engines.
- Advancements in agriculture, transportation, and communication facilitated England's economic development and the rise of working-class movements.
- Britain's industrialization was supported by factors like commercial expansion, a strong merchant marine, and access to raw materials including cotton, coal, and iron.
- The invention of new machinery and the establishment of factories led to the employment of women and children and the growth of the iron industry.
- The construction of canals and railways, including George Stephenson's first locomotive in 1814, was crucial for trade and transportation, making Britain a dominant trading nation.
Indice
L'inizio della rivoluzione industriale
The word Industrial Revolution was used first to indicate England’s economic development from 1760 to 1840, and it was a process rather than a period of time.
Innovazioni e cambiamenti economici
The changes involved the use of new materials, like iron and steel, or new sources like coal and the steam engine, technological inventions, improvements in transportation and communication. There were also improvements in agriculture, international trade, and the birth of working-class movements.
Condizioni favorevoli all'industrializzazione
Britain was the first country to industrialize, but there were conditions which helped this, as agriculture improvements and commercial expansion, a great merchant marine, the slave trade, a good canal and road system, an enterprising middle class, the availability of raw materials like cotton, coal and iron. Also new farming methods were introduced, and machinery was improved. Besides, landowners began to hedge their lands into area called enclosures, bur poor farmers couldn’t afford it and it deprived them of the possibility to grazing the animals, so they left the country to find work in the towns, so the demand for goods increased.
L'industria del cotone e il trasporto
At first in Britain people used wool, but they discovered cotton, imported from West Indies, which couldn’t be span at home, so new machines were invented and factories were built and women and children were employed. Also wood was replaced by iron in industrial products, and there was the growth of the iron industry and the steam engines.
Conseguenze sociali e commerciali
But this increasing needed cheap and reliable transport, so canals were soon built; also railways began to be built, and George Stephenson in 1814 built his first locomotive. The railways were very important for lives because fresh food could be brought into towns. But the main source of wealth was trade, and Britain was the most powerful trading nation in the world, it exported lots of goods. It increased the gap between poor and rich, and a group of people called Luddites reacted to this improvements smashing up the new machinery, called after Ned Ludd. Another important consequence was the shift of people from countryside to towns. In the Great exhibition of 1851 were shown all the progresses of Britain.
Domande da interrogazione
- ¿Qué factores contribuyeron a que Gran Bretaña fuera el primer país en industrializarse?
- ¿Cómo afectó la Revolución Industrial a la población rural en Gran Bretaña?
- ¿Qué papel jugaron las innovaciones en transporte durante la Revolución Industrial?
Gran Bretaña fue el primer país en industrializarse debido a mejoras en la agricultura, expansión comercial, una gran marina mercante, el comercio de esclavos, un buen sistema de canales y carreteras, una clase media emprendedora y la disponibilidad de materias primas como algodón, carbón e hierro.
La Revolución Industrial llevó a que los terratenientes cercaran sus tierras, lo que privó a los agricultores pobres de la posibilidad de pastorear animales. Esto los obligó a trasladarse a las ciudades en busca de trabajo, aumentando la demanda de bienes.
Las innovaciones en transporte, como la construcción de canales y ferrocarriles, fueron cruciales para el transporte barato y confiable de mercancías. Los ferrocarriles, en particular, permitieron llevar alimentos frescos a las ciudades y fueron fundamentales para el comercio y la vida urbana.