The Industrial Revolution: Economic Growth and Expansion
Classified in Geography
Written on in 
English with a size of 2.18 KB
Industrialisation
During the Industrial Revolution, three areas made an especially important contribution to economic growth: the textile industry, iron and steel production, and transport.
Textile Industry
Technological innovations, such as spinning and weaving machines, increased the amount of cotton fabric that could be produced. This led to lower prices.
These machines were located in factories where every worker was responsible for a different part of the production process. This division of labour made textile manufacturing more efficient.
Iron and Steel Production
The production of iron and steel in foundries required large amounts of fuel. Technological innovations, such as the Bessemer converter, allowed foundries to produce larger quantities of steel.
Transport
Improvements in road and water transport made an essential contribution to economic growth. The use of the steam engine in ships and trains revolutionised communications.
The invention of the steam locomotive (1804), the development of the first commercial steamship (1807), and the opening of the first public railway (1825) made it possible to transport large amounts of goods more quickly and more easily.
Industrialisation in Europe
The Industrial Revolution spread from Great Britain to other countries, including Germany, Belgium, and France. These countries had abundant reserves of iron and coal, a growing population, and well-developed railway networks to facilitate transport.
Industrialisation in Spain
Industrialisation took place later and happened more slowly than in other countries because:
- Spanish coal deposits were generally of poor quality.
- Spain was less technologically advanced than other countries.
- Great Britain and France invested in the Spanish railways and the mining industry.
These investments benefited Great Britain and France, but did little to promote industrial development in Spain.
In the 19th Century, two types of industry became more important in Spain: the cotton industry in Cataluña and the metallurgical industry in Asturias and Vizcaya.