Major events in British history: an introductory guide to the industrial revolution

/kloc-in the second half of the 0/8th century, life in Britain began to change. Scientific discovery, agricultural innovation and technological invention attract people from land to cities and towns. At the forefront of emerging technologies and industries, the British Empire has grown and become a world leader. With the passage of time, the industrial revolution spread from Britain and changed the lives of people all over the world.

The key fact about the industrial revolution is that the industrial revolution is a gradual process, and there is no exact start date, but it is generally believed that it started around 1750.

Key person

Jerome Tal-invented the seeder and other mechanized agricultural tools Abraham Darby-invented the process of smelting iron ore with coke-Thomas Newcomen-invented the first steam engine for pumping water-James Watt-improved the steam engine in newcomen. Increased the contribution of the condenser-Matthew Buren-James W. William Murdoch's business partner-contribution to the steam engine, locomotive and gas lamp-john kay-inventor of the space shuttle, making the loom more efficient-james hargreaves-invented Jenny's loom on the spinning machine, and Richard Ackerlet made the spinning more efficient-built the first mechanical chemical plant to accommodate Thomas telford, an inspiring civil engineer. Created a new pavement technology-1In the mid-8th century, the dark asphalt road and Satan-style mill "KDSP" were built on a green and pleasant land, and the British people lived the life they had been living for hundreds of years. Most people live in the countryside and work on the land for a long time. There are many cottage industries, workshops and craftsmen. Either on foot or in a carriage, walk hard and slowly along the unpaved road. At first, life began to change slowly. Some new inventions have quickly become a wave of change, speeding up the pace and creating new ways of working and living. The seeds of the industrial revolution were sown as early as18th century, which was sown by free thinkers and inventors in the last century, but it was not until18th century that the conditions for industrialization matured in Britain.

/kloc-The British Isles in the 0/8th century provided an ideal social atmosphere for economic and industrial innovation. 1707 After joining the Unification Act of England and Scotland, the country was peaceful and stable. The two countries share the same interests in free market trade, and the legal system makes it easy to set up companies to take advantage of economic opportunities. Funds from the British Empire enable entrepreneurs eager to increase their wealth to promote innovation. Hard work and the pursuit of wealth are considered virtues. In addition to financial resources, Britain also has natural resources such as coal and metal mines, which are crucial to emerging technologies. Britain has everything it needs to be the cradle of industrialization.

The initial changes began in Britain. /kloc-at the beginning of the 0/8th century, landlords and farmers began to transform British agriculture. Selective breeding, crop rotation and enclosure behavior lead to higher yield and productivity. Mechanization has improved efficiency. Jehro Tull first designed the seeder according to scientific principles, and then designed the horse-drawn hoe. Tourre successfully proved that mechanization is superior to manpower, and this principle will eventually be extended to other industries.

Abraham Darby was another early pioneer of the industrial revolution. Darby, an enterprising Quaker, participated in the manufacture of brass. 1709, he perfected the process of smelting iron ore with coke instead of wood or charcoal, which was an important breakthrough. Iron was widely used in the industrial revolution. Because manufacturers will not be limited by the supply of mature wood, the innovation of uion and Darby will allow large-scale production of iron.

The sculpture 1784 steam engine coal designed by Bulun and Wa originally occupied an important position in industry, but at the beginning of18th century, a major problem appeared in coal mines: flood. In the past few centuries, coal was mined near the surface. With the increasing demand, deeper mines are dug to reach richer coal seams, but water often fills tunnels. Thomas Newcomen is a blacksmith who provides energy for the mining industry. He began to improve the system of pumping water from the mine. In the process, he found that steam power can be used to drive the engine. Newcomen's steam engine was first built around 17 12, and then gradually became popular, not only in Britain, but also in foreign mines. However, despite some improvements, it is not a particularly efficient machine. Scottish James Watt began to improve newcomen's engine in 1960s. His main improvement is the use of condenser, which can reduce waste and improve efficiency. By 1776, with the help of his business partner matthew boulton, Watt was able to promote his new engine. William Murdoch, one of Burton and Watt's employees, also modified the steam engine, and he was also modifying the steam engine when he installed it in Cornwall. He went on to invent other things, including gas lamps, and later invented steam locomotives. New and efficient machines will be the source of power in this era.

When the steam engine changed the mining industry, the textile industry was also undergoing its own transformation. Traditionally, weaving is a cottage industry. There will be a hand loom at home, which will punch cards, spin, weave and sell weaving together for a living. Once cotton began to be imported from the growing British Empire, there would be surplus cotton that could not be processed at home. It is necessary to increase mechanization. One of the earliest inventions was the space shuttle, which was invented by john kay in about 1734. This makes the weaving speed of the hand loom faster, making it possible for one loom operator to replace the two operators previously needed. There is a problem. Now the efficiency of the loom is twice as high as before. The simple spinning wheel can't keep up, and there is not enough yarn to feed into the loom. Fortunately, some inventors are ready to turn this obstacle into an opportunity.

James hargreaves himself is a weaver and has carpentry skills. In 1764, he introduced a system to make the yarn supply keep up with the demand created by the shuttle in john kay. Hargreaves' spinning machine Jenny is a multi-spindle spinning machine. At first, a worker can manage eight spools, and as time goes by, the number of spools increases to 120. According to the design of john kay (not the inventor of the space shuttle), Richard arkrigh made the hydraulic spinning machine, which further solved the demand for yarn. Akelet's water rack was placed in a cotton mill in Crawford-on-derwent, making his factory one of the earliest specialized mechanical chemical plants.

The final improvement of textile industry was put forward by Samuel Cropp in 1779. Spinning spindle machine is called hybrid spinning spindle machine, which combines Jenny's spinning technology with water spinning machine. Mules can not only make the thread turn faster, but also make the thread turn thinner and produce better quality thread. Sadly, Crump was short of funds to apply for a patent for his invention, so despite the revolutionary changes in the textile industry, he still failed to profit from his work.

The improvement of traffic has played an important role in the process of industrialization in Britain. Thomas telford, a road giant, was an early civil engineer. He designed many roads (with a total length of about 1000 miles), canals and bridges across Britain. He built the London-Holyhead Expressway to allow stagecoaches to transport mail from London to Irish mail ships, so the need for a relatively flat civil life was threatened by the industrial revolution.

Further study Roger Osborne's exploration of the origin of the industrial revolution in Iron, Steam and Money: The Manufacture of the Industrial Revolution (20 13).

Explanation of the Industrial Revolution: Steam, Spark and the Great Ship: Steam, Spark and the Great Ship (A Living History of Britain) (20 13) Stan York not only recorded the history of the Industrial Revolution, but also provided information on where museums of this era can be found.

George Eliot's novel Silas Mana (186 1) tells the fate of a cotton spinner at the beginning of19th century.

There are several articles about the industrial revolution in the history edition of the BBC. co/history/Brish/Vico rians/

YouTube videos and BBC documentaries.

"James Hua's steam engine.

Institution of Civil Engineers-Thomas telford