Causes of the Industrial Revolution 

 
Task 1: Each of the following pictures corresponds to a word beginning with ‘M’ which
identifies a cause of the Industrial Revolution. Using your intuition (and perhaps, a
Thesaurus) identify what the correct word is.   
 

     

     
  Money, mind, machine, minors,  
  market/manufacturing, mining

 
Never Finished Learning: How do these factors contribute to the Industrial Revolution?  
 
 
 
Task 2: Watch the video on the causes of the Industrial Revolution and identify the causes
of the Industrial Revolution.  
 
   population  entrepreneurs  material  money
 people
 
 trade    investment
Causes of the Industrial Revolution 
 
         
 
 resources
 
Never Finished Learning: Was the Industrial Revolution caused more by long term or short-
term factors? Explain your answer. 
 
 Both: it might be both because

To a certain extent it was caused by both long term and short-term factors because of the
agriculture revolution (enclosure system) and crop rotation which made it expensive to
maintain. Which therefore made it quicker to change from domestic to machinery, however
it did take long to develop machines
 
 
 
Task 3: Read each interpretation carefully.  What is the opinion of the 3 different historians
about the main cause of the Industrial Revolution? 
 
 
Interpretation A  What is the main cause of the Industrial
  Revolution?  
Historian Eric Hobsbawn, in Industry and  
Empire, published 1999.  Interpretation A:  the historian thought that
  trade was the main cause of the industrial
“The main cause of the revolution was not revolution because it was able to make
being able to trade in Britain, but the massive massive exports around the world to where
exports and trade available because of the Britain had colonized
growth of the British Empire. Inventors were
not important unless they were able to sell
their inventions abroad. Being aggressive in
war and taking over more land was just as
important to the industry of Britain as it was to
Britain’s pride” 
   
Interpretation B  
 
Historians Marjory and Charles Quenelle, The Interpretation B: the historian believed that
History of Everyday Things in Britain, the steam engine was the main cause of the
published 1933.  industrial revolution because now people
  didn’t have to rely on water, wind etc. and
“The most momentous change was the new they could create transportation to make
technology of the steam engine by James Watt. trade easier
For centuries man had relied on water,
muscles, wind and animals.  With the steam
engine, there were endless possibilities.  It was
steam that started the modern factory system
and put industry on the map.” 
   
Interpretation C  
 
Floud and Johnson, The Economic History of Interpretation C: the third historian
Britain, published 2004  believed that the IR was driven by
  population growth, because the people
“The Industrial Revolution was driven by the were needed to work in the factories,
population growth of the time.  Without all the manufacture goods, buy goods and make
people to work to manufacture goods and then profit.
to buy the goods, industry would not have
been able to make such profit (money). 
Without the willingness of the population to
change their attitudes and their behaviours,
industry would not have developed so
rapidly.” 
 
 
Never Finished Learning: Thinking of both long and short-term significance, which of the
interpretations do you find most convincing? Explain your answer. 

The steam engine and population, because we still use the steam engines technology today,
and without population the industrial revolution wouldn’t have been so effective and rapid
 
 
Task 4:  Read each cause of the Industrial Revolution carefully.  Think about how they
explain the Industrial Revolution.   Decide how important you believe them to be by placing
the title only in the in the diamond ranking underneath.  Then give a brief explanation as to
your pick for the most and least important.  
 
Population  Attitudes  Banking 
     
The population of Britain People of all classes were Banks were confident that they
grew rapidly from roughly 10 willing to accept change.  For could lend people money to
million people in 1750 to 42 example, millions moved into start their own industry.  There
million people by 1900.   crowded towns to work in was more money available for
  new factories using machinery the rich and for inventors to
that had never been seen invest their money. 
before.   
 
 Trade/Empire  Peace  Agriculture/Farming 
     
Britain, and later the other Although Britain still fought to Farmers found more effective
major powers such as France, gain land for its empire, ways of growing crops and
could sell its inventions and Britain was one of the few breeding animals for the
manufactured goods to other European countries not growing population. Farmers
countries in its huge Empire directly involved in fighting a made use of new steam
such as India, Australia and war.   powered machinery to increase
East Africa.  In return, Britain   this further. 
gained other luxury goods  
such as tea, spices, gold and
silk.   
 
Inventors  Raw Materials  Transport 
     
Britain had many inventors Iron, coal and tin were found Canals and railways were built
who created new ideas for across Britain and needed in across Britain and Europe,
machines and transport.  For most new machinery and linking key industrial towns and
example:   factories.  Cotton was the countryside. 
  imported from abroad and  
James Watt’s ‘steam engine’ manufactured into goods in Railway stations were built in
in 1769  the north of England and most areas of the country for
George Stephenson’s steam Scotland.    the first time. Travel became
powered train in 1814    quicker and transport carried
Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s vast weights of goods and
engineering and construction resources. 
techniques.   
 
 
1: trade/empire
 
2:  population 3:  inventors
 
4:  agriculture/farming 5: raw materials 6:  peace
 
7:  transport 8:  banking
 
9:  attitude
 
 
The most important is… trade and empire
 
This is because…  they had power and control to buy and sell goods, earning profit for the
country
 
 
The least important is… attitude
 
This is because…   monarchs/people of power could manipulate the attitude of the country
and make repercussion
 
 
 
Never Finished Learning: Which of the factors link together? (Which factors helped cause
another factor?) Explain your answer.  

transportation + inventors = trade/empire

inventors + raw materials

 
 
 
 
 
Task 5: What were the main causes of the Industrial Revolution? (4)  

Raw materials, population, trade, inventors, government