Agricultural and Industrial Revolution: Key Factors

Key Factors of the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions

1. Agriculture

• Three-year rotation systems: Cereals, legumes, and forages.
• New crops: Most importantly, potatoes.
• Mechanization: Led many to refer to an "agricultural revolution." Harvesters and tractors replaced animals, increasing productivity.
• Use of fertilizers: Fertilizers supplemented special nutrients.
• Livestock: One of the biggest changes. The previous clash between agriculture and livestock disappeared with the Industrial Revolution; they became complementary. New products emerged: milk, meat, cheese, etc.

2. Industry

Industry incorporated technological innovations that increased productivity. Spillovers occurred; the textile sector influenced metallurgy and steel (feedback).

• Capital: Replaced human effort and ability. Increased capitalization, associated with machinery in production, improved production, quality, and lowered raw material costs. Machines are faster, more regular, more precise, and more tireless.
• Energy sources: Innovations replaced animal power with mechanical power or traditional energy sources like coal and oil.
• Raw materials: Organic raw materials were substituted for mineral raw materials. The use of raw materials was associated with the development of the textile industry. Most notably, cotton replaced wool, providing a cheaper raw material and facilitating machining. This resulted in price reductions.

3. Human Capital

Human capital was a crucial factor, especially in medium and long-term economic growth. Human capital is linked to literacy; as the population became more literate, the workforce could more easily understand and apply technological progress. The French Revolution, making education free and universal, was important in this process.

4. The Transportation Revolution

The transportation revolution was associated with the steamship and the railroad, although traditional methods (camel transport, river and ocean shipping, etc.) did not disappear. The propeller also appeared, increasing the loading capacity of steamboats.

The effects were not uniform across all countries. In many African and American countries, construction was carried out by national public or private capital but financed by foreign (usually British) capital. The beneficiaries were the countries of origin of these funds, as raw materials and machinery came from these countries, and investors repatriated their profits.