The Industrial Giant

The Beginnings of Industrialization

The First and Second Industrial Revolutions had a tremendous impact on Europe and the from the 1700s well into the 1900s.

Before Industrialization

Prior to industrialization, the economies of Europe and the United States were mostly agrarian in nature. Individuals and families had a largely subsistence existence; they produced the majority of their own food as well as other goods that they needed to survive. What they could not produce or make themselves, they purchased from various craftsmen. Craftsmen at the time did engage in small-scale, home-based . Goods were produced using simple and various small tools. Over time, cottage industries emerged. Manufacturers provided employees with equipment and materials, while employees conducted the work within their own homes. This system often proved problematic for employers because they had limited control over the productivity of the individuals they employed.

The First and Second Industrial Revolutions

The First took place in Great Britain from the through the 1830s. During this time, technological developments—including increased use of and , utilization of new energy sources, improved transportation, and the of new machines—revolutionized the economy and society of Great Britain. Improvements to farming made it possible for farmers to produce more food while simultaneously requiring fewer laborers. The reduced need for farm laborers coupled with the rise of in urban areas led many workers to seek employment in cities. The number of opportunities for skilled laborers declined while opportunities for unskilled laborers, including small children, grew. At the same time, industrialization in Great Britain gave way to social changes. For centuries, land, which was generally owned by the aristocracy, was a perceived sign of wealth in Great Britain and other parts of Europe. During the Industrial Revolution, however, the ability to generate wealth changed as members of the growing middle class were able to amass fortunes from manufacturing. The industry was one of the first industries in Great Britain to experience and prosper from rapid industrialization. The invention of the in 1764—a device that made it possible for a single person to spin multiple spools of thread at once—was one of the first machines that revolutionized textile production. Within the next two years, other machines such as the , would also simplify the processes of spinning thread and weaving fabric, thereby eroding the use of cottage industries in Great Britain. As in Great Britain, the textile industry laid the groundwork for industrialization in the United States, thanks in part to the help of Samuel Slater. Throughout the 1700s and early 1800s, the British government kept a tight hold on the innovations and that made industrialization possible, thus preventing industrial development in other countries and ensuring its own economic dominance.

1 Textile workers, such as Slater, were prohibited from leaving Great Britain. Slater defied British law and secretly left the country for the United States in 1789. He then helped design and erect the first successful American mill in Pawtucket, . Eventually, industrialization spread outward from Great Britain, initially to France, Belgium, and Germany. The United States and Japan industrialized rapidly throughout the late 1800s and into the 1900s, a period referred to as the Second Industrial Revolution. While Great Britain had once been the world’s leading manufacturer, it was quickly outpaced by other European countries and the United States.

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