Industrial Revolution in England

Industrial Revolution in England is of immense importance in world history because of the fact that the Industrial Revolution first emerged in England and had far-reaching repercussions.

Though the Industrial Revolution also started in other Western countries in the 18th century, the process of industrialization in England was the most accelerated one. There were some strong reasons behind this highly accelerated industrial growth in England. England possessed large volumes of coal, which easily met the demand for industry fuel. There was an abundant labor force which produced loads of coal and iron through mining.

Moreover, England had many colonies across the world, which were forced to supply raw materials for meeting the raw material demand of British industries.

. All these factors together contributed towards such a revolutionary industrial growth that it was termed an Industrial Revolution.

Other than the abundance of raw material, fuel, labor force and other resources, the other important factor that accelerated industrial growth tremendously was the use of power driven machines. In 1962, in a factory of England, a steam engine was installed for supplementing power. Large waterwheels were used to generate power which could run the polishing machines, grinding machines, and lathes machines. From 1700, potters of England started using waterwheels or windmills to run their machines which used to grind and mix the required materials. Among all these power driven machine usages, the most legendary one was use of machines in the textile industry. Earlier, the productivity in the textile industry was quite low, but after the invention of the Flying Shuttle and Spinning Jenny, productivity levels rose by leaps and bounds.

All these technological changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution were accompanied by socio- economic-cultural changes. England experienced an spurt in its population along with a growing trend of urbanization.

A new working class was created, comprising of industrial workers. These industrial workers included men, women, and even children who worked in textile mills, mines, and pottery establishments. Wages given to these workers were very low and they worked inhuman hours in unpleasant working environments.

                                                      - Juan Manuel Pérez