Unit One

Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution was the major technological, socioeconomic and

cultural change in the late 18th and early 19th century resulting from the
replacement of an economy based on manual labor to one dominated by industry
and machine manufacture. It began in England with the introduction of steam
power (fueled primarily by coal) and powered machinery (mainly in textile
manufacturing). The development of all-metal machine tools in the first two
decades of the nineteenth century enabled the manufacture of more production
machines for manufacturing in other industries.

The dating of the Industrial Revolution is not exact, but T.S. Ashton held it covers
roughly 1760-1830, in effect the reigns of George III, The Regency, and part of
William IV. There was no cut-off point for it merged into the Second Industrial
Revolution from about 1850, when technological and economic progress gained
momentum with the development of steam-powered ships, and railways, and later
in the nineteenth century the growth of the internal combustion engine and the
development of electrical power generation.

 
The effects spread throughout Western Europe and North America, eventually
affecting the rest of the world. The impact of this change on society was enormous
and is often compared to the Neolithic revolution, when mankind developed
agriculture and gave up its nomadic lifestyle.

The term industrial revolution was introduced by Friedrich Engels and Louis-
Auguste Blanqui in the second half of the 19th century.

The causes of the Industrial Revolution were complex and remain a topic for
debate, with some historians seeing the Revolution as an outgrowth of social and
institutional changes wrought by the end of feudalism in Great Britain after the
English Civil War in the 17th century. The Inclosure movement and the British
Agricultural Revolution made food production more efficient and less labor-
intensive, forcing the surplus population who could no longer find employment in
agriculture into the cities to seek work in the newly developed factories. The
colonial expansion of the 17th century with the accompanying development of
international trade, creation of financial markets and accumulation of capital are
also cited as factors, as is the scientific revolution of the 17th century.

The presence of a large domestic market should also be considered an important

catalyst of the Industrial Revolution, particularly explaining why it occurred in
Britain. In other nations, such as France, markets were split up by local regions,
which often imposed tolls and tariffs on goods traded among them.

One question of active interest to historians is why the Industrial Revolution

occurred in Europe and not other parts of the world, particularly China. Numerous
factors have been suggested, including ecology, government, and culture.
Benjamin Elman argues that China was in a high level equilibrium trap in which
the nonindustrial methods were efficient enough to prevent use of industrial
methods with high costs of capital. Kenneth Pomeranz, in the Great Divergence,
argues that Europe and China were remarkably similar in 1700, and that the crucial

 
differences which created the Industrial Revolution in Europe were: sources of coal
near manufacturing centres and raw materials such as food and wood from the New
World, which allowed Europe to expand economically in a way that China could
not. Indeed, a combination of all of these factors is possible.

The debate around the concept of the initial startup of the Industrial Revolution
also concerns the lead of 30 to 100 years that the British had over the continental
European countries and America. Some have stressed the importance of natural or
financial resources that the United Kingdom received from its many overseas
colonies or that profits from the British slave trade between Africa and the
Caribbean helped fuel industrial investment.

Alternatively, the greater liberalisation of trade from a large merchant base may
have been able to utilise scientific and technological developments emerging in the
United Kingdom and elsewhere more effectively than other countries with stronger
monarchies, such as China and Russia. Great Britain emerged from the Napoleonic
Wars as the only European nation not ravaged by financial plunder and economic
collapse, as well as possessing the only merchant fleet of any useful size (European
merchant fleets having been destroyed during the war by the Royal Navy). The
United Kingdom's extensive exporting cottage industries also ensured markets
were already open for many forms of early manufactured goods. The nature of
conflict in the period resulted in most British warfare being conducted overseas,
reducing the devastating effects of territorial conquest affecting much of Europe.
This was further aided by Britain's geographical position - an island separated from
the rest of mainland Europe.

 
A- Answer the following questions

1. What does Industrial Revolution refer to? What sort of revolution was it?
2. Who coined the term Industrial Revolution?
3. Where did the Industrial Revolution begin? When did it begin?
4. What triggered the Industrial Revolution?
5. What factors helped create the Industrial Revolution?
6. Why did Industrial Revolution start in Britain rather than other European
countries?
7. Why did Europe precede China in Industrialaization?
8. What role did the British colonies play in sparking off the Industrial Revolution?
9. How did Britain’s geographocal position help in triggering welfare?

B. Mark the following as True (T) or False (F)

1. T F It was easy for historians to determine when Industrial Revolution exactly

started.
2. T F The term Industrial Revolution was inroduced right at the beginning of
industrialization period in Europe
3. T F Most historians always agree about the exact causes of Industrial
Revolution.
4. T F Imperialism impeded trade and industrialization.
5. T F Small markets helped trigger Industrial Revolution more than larger
markets.
6. T F Electricity had no role to play in Industrial Revolution
7. T F According to Benjamin Elman, China headed for industry before Europe.
8. T F Having coal mines near factories was bad for industrial growth.
9. T F Britain emerged completely destroyed following the Napoleonic war.

 
C. Choose the best answer

1. All the following ideas are included in the first paragraph EXCEPT:
a. The growth of the Industrial Revolution.
b. The beginnings of the Industrial Revolution.
c. The effects of the Industrial Revolution on people's lives.
d. Change of economy based to a machine manufacture one.

2. Paragraph 2 mainly discusses:

a. the effects of the Second Industrial Revolution
b. the dispute about the precise time of the Industrial Revolution.
c. the role of the internal combustion engine in the development of the Industrial
Revolution.
d. how the development of steam-powered ships, and railways helped Britain's
growth.

3. The passage mainly aims at showing that:

a. Britain was the most industrialized country.
b. the Industrial Revolution had many bad effects.
c. the industrial Revolution was a gigantic step in the history of the world.
d. the Industrial Revolution occurred only in Europe.

D. Vocabulary Practice
Choose the best answer

1. The word major is closest in meaning to:

a. main b. minor c. role
2. The word manual is closest in meaning to:
a. by hand b. by machine c. ready-made
3. The word decade is closest in meaning to:

 
a. 100 years b. 10 years c.1000 years
4. The word enabled is closest in meaning to:
a. made impossible b. made possible c. destroyed
5. The word momentum is closest in meaning to:
a. moving force b. weight c. height

6. The word nomadic is closest in meaning to :

a. Bedouin b. stable c. agricultural
7. The word feudalism is closest in meaning to:
a. ranking system b. industry c. future class

F- Translate the following into Arabic

One question of active interest to historians is why the Industrial Revolution

occurred in Europe and not other parts of the world, particularly China. Numerous
factors have been suggested, including ecology, government, and culture.
Benjamin Elman argues that China was in a high level equilibrium trap in which
the nonindustrial methods were efficient enough to prevent use of industrial
methods with high costs of capital. Kenneth Pomeranz, in the Great Divergence,
argues that Europe and China were remarkably similar in 1700, and that the crucial
differences which created the Industrial Revolution in Europe were: sources of coal
near manufacturing centres and raw materials such as food and wood from the New
World, which allowed Europe to expand economically in a way that China could
not. Indeed, a combination of all of these factors is possible.

‫ﺗﺮﺟﻢ ﺇﻟﻰ ﺍﻹﻧﺠﻠﻴﺰﻳﺔ‬

.‫ ﻻ ﺗﺰﺍﻝ ﺃﺳﺒﺎﺏ ﺍﻟﺜﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﺼﻨﺎﻋﻴﺔ ﻣﺤﻞ ﺟﺪﻝ ﺑﻴﻦ ﺍﻟﻌﻠﻤﺎء ﻭ ﺍﻟﻤﺆﺭﺧﻴﻦ‬-١

.‫ ﻻ ﻳﻌﺮﻑ ﺍﻟﻌﻠﻤﺎء ﻟﻤﺎﺫﺍ ﺣﺪﺛﺖ ﺍﻟﺜﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﺼﻨﺎﻋﻴﺔ ﻓﻲ ﺃﻭﺭﻭﺑﺎ ﻭﻟﻴﺲ ﻓﻲ ﺍﻟﺼﻴﻦ‬-٢
‫ ﺃﻛﺪ ﺍﻟﺒﻌﺾ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺃﻫﻤﻴﺔ ﺍﻟﻤﻮﺍﺭﺩ ﺍﻟﻄﺒﻴﻌﻴﺔ ﻭ ﺍﻟﻤﺎﻟﻴﺔ ﺍﻟﺘﻲ ﺗﻠﻘﺘﻬﺎ ﺇﻧﺠﻠﺘﺮﺍ ﻣﻦ ﻣﺴﺘﻌﻤﺮﺍﺗﻬﺎ ﺍﻟﻌﺪﻳﺪﺓ ﻓﻲ‬-٣

 
 .‫ﺍﻟﺨﺎﺭﺝ ﻓﻲ ﺗﺤﻔﻴﺰ ﺍﻟﺜﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﺼﻨﺎﻋﻴﺔ‬

G-Video

Watch the following video clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLhNP0qp38Q

Summarize the main points of the clip.