CAUSES OF THE INDUSTRIAL

REVOLUTION

The Industrial Revolution first began in Britain in the 18th century but soon
spread throughout Europe and North America. Historians have identified
several causes for the Industrial Revolution, including: the emergence of
capitalism, European imperialism, efforts to mine coal, and the effects of
the Agricultural Revolution.
Capitalism was a central component necessary for the rise of
industrialization. Historians refer to the form of capitalism common during
the Industrial Revolution as laissez-faire capitalism. Often, laissez-faire
capitalism is also referred to as free market capitalism or market
capitalism. Simply put, laissez-faire translates to “leave us alone” meaning
that the government should remain out of the economy and instead allow
individuals to freely carry out their own economic affairs. At the time, it was
a revolutionary idea, because in the previous centuries, mercantilism had
been the dominant economic system. In general, mercantilism is viewed
as an economic system that favored heavy government control and
regulation. Under mercantilism, absolute monarchs ruled over vast
empires and controlled almost all aspects of the economy. However,
prominent thinkers, including Adam Smith, began to argue against
mercantilism in favor of an economic system with more freedom for
individuals.
Adam Smith was the famous Scottish writer and economist who is credited
with laying the foundation for capitalist theory in his 1776 book titled
‘Wealth of Nations’. In the book, he challenged the role of the government
in economics. Smith argued against mercantilism and government control
of the economy and instead proposed the idea of the ‘invisible hand’.
Simply put, the invisible hand is the idea that the market forces of supply
and demand should drive the economy of a country. Capitalism caused the
Industrial Revolution because industrialization required significant work and
investment from individuals and not necessarily the government. For
example, in Britain, where the Industrial Revolution began, wealthy
entrepreneurs were important because they used their wealth to create
factories and mines. This investment from individuals, whose actions were
guided by the profit motive, would not have been possible without the
emergence of capitalism. Furthermore, as the Industrial Revolution began
the individualistic principles of capitalism helped create a climate wherein
industrialization exploded, and eventually spread worldwide.

The next major factor that helped the development of the Industrial Revolution
was the impact of European Imperialism. While not directly a cause of the
start of the Industrial Revolution, imperialism as a concept was linked with the
growth of industrialization. Imperialism is generally defined as when one
nation controls another’s region through military, political or economic control.
Following the Age of Exploration, powerful European countries (Britain,
France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, etc.) undertook large imperial
campaigns in order to create vast empires. During this period of time, which
historians refer to as the Age of Imperialism, large sections of the world came
under European control, including: North America, South America, Africa,
Indian, Australia, and China. In general, the Age of Imperialism occurred prior
to and during the rise of industrialization. For example, European nations
began colonizing North and South America in the 15th century, beginning
with Christopher Columbus’ famous four voyages to the New World. Other
areas of the world were taken over in the centuries that followed. For
instance, Africa wasn’t colonized until the late 19th century and early 20th
century. As a result, historians often view the Industrial Revolution as a cause
of the later stages of the Age of Imperialism. Regardless, European
imperialism was vital to the start of the Industrial Revolution (especially in
Britain) for several reasons. First, the colonies created during the Age of
Imperialism supplied the European countries with large amounts of raw
materials that could then be used to produce goods in the factories. For
example, the Trade Triangle developed in the Atlantic Ocean during this time.
In the Trade Triangle, European factories were fed with resources from North
and South America. In turn, the goods produced were shipped and sold in
Africa in exchange for slaves. The slaves were then transported to North and
South America to work on plantations producing raw materials such as cotton,
which would then be taken again to European factories. Therefore, European
imperialism provided the resources necessary to begin mass production of
goods. The second reason is that European imperialism created a large
markets for goods. For example, as European countries colonized areas of
the world, they established trade routes. This meant that any goods produced
in European factories could then be shipped and sold to markets around the
world. This helped expand industrialization as it allowed European factories
to produce goods on a much larger scale. For example, Britain was the first
country to undergo the effects of the Industrial Revolution, and it used its vast
empire to both gather resources and sell its newly manufactured goods.

The next main reason for the start of the Industrial Revolution was the mining
of resources such as coal, which were vital to the processes of
industrialization. For instance, Britain was the first to industrialize and had
large supplies of coal present in the country. Coal was a necessary ingredient
in the industrial process as it fueled the steam engines that were used in
trains, ships and all other sorts of machinery. Not only did Britain have large
supplies of the resource, but it was also easily obtainable. Unlike other
European nations, coal in Britain was relatively close to the surface and was
therefore relatively easy for miners to find and extract it. The mining of coal
became even easier after the invention of the steam engine by Thomas
Newcomen, which was originally used to pump water out of coal mines.

The final cause of the Industrial Revolution was the effects created by
the Agricultural Revolution. As previously stated, the Industrial Revolution
began in Britain in the 18th century due in part to an increase in food
production, which was the key outcome of the Agricultural Revolution. As
such, the Agricultural Revolution is considered to have begun in the 17th
century and continued throughout the centuries that followed, alongside the
Industrial Revolution. In general, the Agricultural Revolution involved new
farming techniques, the use of machinery in farming, and the increase of
private land ownership. For example, Charles Townshend introduced the
concept of crop rotation which allowed British farmers to produce more
food faster. This led to a dramatic increase in the population of the country
which in-turn created a large workforce for the factories and mines.
Also, Jethro Tull invented the seed drill which allowed farmers to plant
crops faster and in straight rows. This also led to an increase in food
production, while also allowing the same amount of work to be done by less
people. Therefore, people were able to leave the farms and move to the
towns and cities where factories and mines were being established.
Finally, the Enclosure Movement in Britain led to increased private
ownership of farms, and forced smaller farmers off of their traditional land.
This caused a mass migration of farmers to the town and cities in search of
work. As a result, this created a large workforce that factory and mine
owners could then exploit. In all, the Agricultural Revolution was an
important cause of the Industrial Revolution. The Agricultural Revolution
took place in Britain in the 1700s and involved inventions and innovations
that led to an increase in food production. As stated previously, the
increased food production allowed Britain’s population to also increase
which benefitted the Industrial Revolution in two ways. First, the increased
population helped produce workers for the factories and mines that were so
important to the Industrial Revolution. Second, the larger population
created a market for goods to sold to which helped the owners of the
factories to make a profit off of the sale of their goods.

In conclusion, there are several main causes of the Industrial Revolution.

The first main cause was the emergence of capitalism as an economic
theory, since it helped wealthy individuals to start their own businesses.
The next major cause was the expansion of European imperialism around
the world. By taking over other areas of the world, European countries
gained access to important resources and created large markets in which
they could sell goods produced in their factories. Finally, the last cause of
the Industrial Revolution was the effects of the Agricultural Revolution. The
revolution led to an increase in food production and helped increase the
population on European societies. As a result, this created a large
workforce for use in industrial towns and cities.