The Impact of the Industrial Revolution on Goods Production

HOW DID THE PRODUCTION OF GOODS CHANGE DURING THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION?

aThe driving forces of industrialisation(48) The Industrial Revolution started in Great Britain in the mid-18th century. The following factors explain why Britain pioneered the revolution, overtaking neighbouring countries and becoming the first industrialised country ('the workshop of the world'):

• A political system in which the power of the monarchy had been limited by Parliament since the 17th century and in which the bourgeoisie had a lot of influence.
• Population growth that had led to a rise in demand and an abundance of labour for the new factories.
• An abundance of resources and raw materials, especially coal, which became the main source of energy.
• An extensive transport network of rivers and canals.
• A colonial empire that provided easy access to raw materials (e.g. cotton) and created a large market for exporting manufactured products.

bA series of parallel revolutions The Industrial Revolution was a series of interconnected changes or 'parallel revolutions' driven by innovation, which led to a great change in the economic system:

• An agricultural revolution (increase in food production).
• A demographic revolution (increase in population).
• A technological revolution (new machinery and energy sources for industry).
• A transport and trade revolution (bigger markets).
• A financial revolution (new systems for financing companies and facilitating payments).

cThe factory system of manufacturing(49) The birth of industry was closely linked to three factors that have become emblematic of the industrialisation process: the factory place of production, the mechanisation of the production process and the use of new energy sources.

MECHANISATION

This consisted of the use of machinery, which partially replaced human labour, for the production of goods.

Mechanisation replaced manual labour and animal traction with machinery in both industrial manufacturing and the transportation of goods and passengers.

INANIMATE ENERGY SOURCES

Pre-industrial energy mainly came from human or animal power, wind and water.

The first innovation was hydropower, which used water wheels to extract power from river water and move machinery.

The second and most innovative development was the use of coal to produce steam power, as in the Watt steam engine.

THE FACTORY SYSTEM

Mechanisation, the use of large facilities for new energy sources and the desire for greater control over labour meant that workers were now concentrated in factories, buildings designed for production. This new production method was known as the factory system. It led to mass production and a huge increase in productivity. The widespread adoption of the factory system led to the decline of many artisan activities and the end of traditional manual production. As a result, the guilds that had controlled production since the Middle Ages began to disappear.