The Industrial Revolution and the Establishment of Capitalism

In the second half of the 18th century, technological innovations that began in Britain fundamentally changed the way society was organized. The world calls this change the “Industrial Revolution.”

Basic Knowledge

In the second half of the 18th century, the Industrial Revolution began in Britain. It was triggered by the cotton industry, and machines were invented one after another: John Kay’s flying shuttle in 1733, Hargreaves’s spinning jenny in 1764, Arkwright’s water frame in 1769, Crompton’s spinning mule in 1779, and Cartwright’s power loom in 1785. In the power revolution, James Watt made practical improvements to the steam engine in 1769, and factory-based machine industry spread rapidly. In the transportation revolution, Trevithick’s steam locomotive appeared in 1804, Stephenson’s improved model in 1814, the Stockton and Darlington Railway opened in 1825, and Fulton’s steamboat appeared in 1807 (United States).

Further Study (Background and Effects)

The reasons the Industrial Revolution first occurred in Britain included (1) abundant coal and iron ore, (2) stable politics resulting from the bourgeois revolutions, (3) colonial markets and supplies of raw materials, (4) a labor supply created by the Agricultural Revolution, and (5) accumulated capital. Industrialization caused urbanization (the rapid growth of Manchester and Birmingham), the emergence of the working class, and social problems such as long working hours, child labor, and low wages. These led to the Luddite movement from 1811–17 (machine breaking) and the Chartist movement from the 1830s onward (demands for universal suffrage). Meanwhile, Marx (Das Kapital, 1867), Engels, and others advocated socialism, and the Communist Manifesto was published in 1848. Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations (1776) and its policy of laissez-faire also became a starting point for modern economics.

Points of Caution (Easily Confused)

① Since there were several spinning machines, organize their inventors and dates: flying shuttle (Kay)→spinning jenny (Hargreaves)→water frame (Arkwright)→spinning mule (Crompton)→power loom (Cartwright). ② Watt’s steam engine (improved in 1769) was not a new invention but an improvement. The first practical steam engine was developed by Newcomen (1712). ③ Distinguish the Luddite movement (machine breaking and economic struggle) from the Chartist movement (universal suffrage and political activity). ④ Distinguish the First Industrial Revolution (18th–19th centuries・steam) from the Second Industrial Revolution (late 19th century・electricity・petroleum・steel).

Practice

1. Name the country and period in which the Industrial Revolution first began.
2. Who improved the steam engine in 1769 and accelerated the Industrial Revolution?
3. Which thinker wrote Das Kapital in 1867?