Another major cause of the Industrial Revolution was Britain’s large supply of raw materials. Britain had plenty of raw materials, which were useful in Britain’s industries for a number of reasons. For example coal; coal was the essential source of power for the Industrial Revolution. Most of the new industrial processes depended on a cheap supply of fuel. Steam engines, railways and steamships all consumed vast quantities of coal and more was needed to heat the increasing number of homes. Fortunately, Britain possessed large deposits of coal, and production increased rapidly. Another raw material that played an important part in the Industrial Revolution and was in high demand was iron. For century’s iron had been smelted (extracted form iron ore) in Britain using charcoal, a kind of burnt wood. However, a growing wood shortage made charcoal more difficult to obtain and during the 17th century, many iron masters had successfully experimented with the use of coal instead of charcoal for smelting. Then in 1709, Abraham Darby began to smelt iron ore successfully in his Coalbrookdale foundry, using coke, which was produced from coal. Darby’s new smelting process was the foundation upon which the British iron industry was to expand. Gradually other
Processes were developed to improve the quality of iron production. Demand for iron increased as it became clear that factory machinery was better if it was made out of iron instead of wood. In 1784 Henry Cort devised the puddling process, which made it possible to manufacture purer iron than before using coke furnaces. Mass production of cheap iron became possible, and there was a considerable increase in production. Steel remained expensive to make until after1850. Britain’s total output was still only 60,000 tons. Although many inventors such as Henry Bessemer tried to improve the quality of iron but none of them were successful because British ore contained too much phosphorus. This meant that Britain relied on imported ore. By 1880, British steel production had reached over 2 million tons. Even though these raw materials were very useful in causing the Industrial Revolution, there were a few problems, which did not assist the making of the Industrial Revolution. Although large deposits of raw materials existed, serious technical problems had to be overcome before they could be extracted from ground. Another problem with the large amount of raw materials is that they were not always where they were most needed. This was because in some cities and towns there was a weak supply of raw materials and these cities needed the supply of raw materials in Britain’s industries for several reasons such as to power the machines. Even if these raw materials were to be transported, it would be difficult as at that time transport was a slow and expensive process. Another issue raised by these raw materials was that even though these raw materials had been around for thousands of years there had been no revolution earlier. One way you could argue this point is by saying that Britain’s large supply of raw materials was part of the Industrial Revolution and even though there had been raw materials for thousands of years it was not relevant. This is due to the fact that the Industrial Revolution was a combination of causes not just one.
A further cause of the Industrial Revolution was Britain’s farmers producing more food. Once the population began to rise, there were more and more people needing food. Farmers could charge higher prices, make bigger profit and still sell all their produce. This made them keen to produce as much food as possible. To increase their produce, they changed their farming methods. These changes made by farmers are also known as the Agricultural Revolution. These changes included the inventions of new machines. As farming became more profitable during the 18th century, farmers began to invest in new equipment and farming methods to increase the yield from their land. They also invested in transport such as canals. This meant that transporting goods and raw materials for the industry was made easier and quicker. However not all landowners were as open-mind and so tried to stop industry developing in their area. As farmers and landowners earned more money, it meant that they could reward themselves by spending more money on the goods made by the Industry. However, some historians do not agree with this point because many of the improvements made in Britain’s agriculture happened long after the changes in Britain’s industry had started. I personally think that the Industrial Revolution was a combination of causes and not just one; this means that one cause on its own is irrelevant whether it is justified or unjustified.
Another contribution or cause of the Industrial Revolution was Britain’s empire and overseas trade growing. From 1763, Britain’s Empire grew even larger. Britain’s Empire now had over twelve key locations; the empire was so large that the British government had to use the army and navy to take over land to prevent other countries like France and Germany taking it over. This happened in Africa and New Zealand. Canada, Egypt, Nigeria, India, and Hong Kong were also parts of the Empire. The large empire brought trading benefits to Britain. The colonies provided cheap supplies of raw materials like cotton, jute, and later rubber, palm oil and nitrates. Wealthier Britons also enjoyed exotic colonial products such as chocolate, silk, gold, and tea from India. These raw materials were used for several things. For example cotton from America; cotton was used in the textiles industry to produce cloth. A humongous new market was also created for British goods overseas. This enabled more factories to open, which in turn meant more jobs were available to the growing population. People also benefited from the British Empire because those involved in overseas trade made money and profit which was invested in developing the British Industry and transport. Even though the British Empire and overseas trade brought several advantages some historians still are against this factor helping to cause the Industrial Revolution. This is because profits made from trade were sometimes spent on land and property instead of being invested in Britain’s industry. However as I mentioned before the Industrial Revolution was a group of interrelated changes, not just one so even though the money, which was to be spent on Britain’s industry, was not always it does not matter.
Another reason for the Industrial Revolution was Britain’s transport improved. The transport of bulky raw materials and finished goods was a serious problem in the 18th century industrialists. There had been some improvements in the condition of main roads with the formation of turnpike companies, which changed tolls for the use of roads. Yet Turnpike improved fewer than half the rods, and travel for most people remained difficult and dangerous. One solution was to make more rivers navigable and to construct a canal network, which linked the major industrial areas with ports and cities. James Brindley’s successful construction of a canal for the Duke of Bridgewater, linking coalmines of Worsley to Manchester quickly probed the value of canals. The price of coal in Manchester was halved and Bridgewater’s profits soared. A programme of canal building was quickly introduced. Brindley’s own goal was to create a “Grand Cross” scheme, which would link the four great ports of London, Bristol, Liverpool and Hull. This “Grand Cross” canal network was finally completed after Brindley’s death in 1793. The pottery industry flourished with the use of canals to transport its fragile finished product. Inland coalfields expanded and prospered with the help of canals. Thousands of people obtained work building the canals. Although the canals had advantages over the roads for the carriage of bulky goods, canals had several flaws. In winter they would freeze over and in summer they would dry up. They were difficult and expensive to build in hilly areas, and they were extremely slow. In the end, they were superseded by another new, revolutionary form of transport: the railways. The impact of the railways on the 19th century Britain was so great that the period of time was known as the “Railway Age”. The engineering, technological and iron-making skills of the Industrial Revolution combined in the construction of this new means of transport. Railways also created a social revolution. The middle class began to move out of town centers into new suburbs, commuting to their businesses. In summer they visited new holiday resorts such as Blackpool and Southend. Fresh food could be transported easily, to the benefit of both farmer and townspeople. Railways were also a strong impetus to further industrial growth. One important effect was reduced transport costs of raw materials and manufactured goods. Another effect was the increased demands for coal, iron and building materials needed by railways. The last important effect was thousands of new jobs were made building and running railways. Better transport allowed new ideas and inventions to spread more quickly. The two main queries raised by the improved transport of Britain were that many landowners opposed these improvements in transport if the routes ran across their land. The second query is that industrial developments began well before the great improvements in transport. I think the main factor in Britain’s transport that caused the Industrial Revolution was the canals and railways; this is because if it were not for the canals the industry of Britain would not have developed so well because with no canals or railways there would not be a good supply of raw materials.
The last cause of the Industrial Revolution was the new ideas and inventions in industry. There had been great individuals, industrialists and inventors who saw how to make businesses out of new inventions. The only problem was that a lot of money was needed to develop new inventions. It was as easy to go bust financing a new invention, as it was to make profits. One great inventor who was successful in building an invention was Richard Arkwight; his invention meant he profited greatly so Arkwight was able to put money backing the industry and assist in it’s growth. Richard Arkwight invented a water frame spinning frame machine. It was driven by water and therefore could only be used in factories. This invention was only one of the few that made it possible to produce cotton cloth quickly and in a bulk. Even though some inventors were unsuccessful the inventions that did work ensured that the Industrial Revolution still benefited from them.
Some causes of the Industrial Revolution are linked. One link is between two causes is the population and farming factor. The growing population meant that Britain’s farming methods was improved to ensure the growing population was fed. This meant that farming was better and the benefits and profits were put back into Britain’s industry. Another link is Britain’s large supply of raw materials and Britain’s empire. The empire, which was extremely large, meant that raw material supplies were increased and meant that the industry of Britain benefited because there were more materials to power the machines in industry. Britain’s transport is also linked to raw materials because the improvement in transport enabled raw materials to be used in Britain’s industry especially because many raw materials were made cheaper due to the improvements in transport. Farming is linked with new inventions in Britain’s industry because there were inventions made in Britain’s farming. One invention was the Seed drill made by Jethro Tull. The machine enabled farmers to sow seeds in straight rows, rather than the old system of throwing seeds over the ground by hand, which was very wasteful.
After 1750, Britain had the world’s first Industrial Revolution. By 1900 it was still the most powerful industrial and trading nation; though others were catching up fast. Steam powered machinery had increased and output and working conditions had changed. The population rose from 7million to 37million. The extra people provided the demand and the workers for industry and had created huge industrial cities like Manchester. They had thousands of factories and millions of crowded terraces. Gradually, they got water supplies, sewerage, schools and also new churches. Farmers had found ways of producing enough food to feed the cities using fewer workers. Horsepower had been joined by steam power and petrol.
To conclude, I think the two most important causes of the Industrial Revolution were Britain’s population growth and the new ideas and inventions in industry. The reason for this is because if it weren’t for Britain’s population increases the development of the industries would not have been so important. Another reason why I think Britain’s population increase was one of the major causes of the Industrial Revolution, this is because Britain’s industry would not improved so well if Britain’s population did not assist. This is due to the fact that Britain’s population provided cheap labor to work in the factories made for Britain’s industry. The reason why the inventions made in Britain helped so much in causing the Industrial Revolution was because the new inventions ensured that modernization in machines could speed up the production in goods; which was very important. This essay has explained why there was an Industrial revolution
