The Industrial Revolution: Crash Course European History #24

Summary

This script from Crash Course European History explores the profound impact of the Industrial Revolution, illustrating the transformation of daily life from 1820 to 1920 in England. It highlights the shift from agrarian living to industrial work, the advent of new technologies, and the societal changes that accompanied economic growth. The script also addresses the darker aspects of industrialization, including child labor, the exploitation of workers, and the environmental consequences of rapid urbanization.

Takeaways

• 😀 The Industrial Revolution marked one of the most significant developments in human history, transforming daily life and work from the early 1800s to the early 1900s.
• 🏡 In 1820, most people in England lived and worked in agriculture, with a lifestyle similar to those of previous centuries, lacking modern conveniences like running water and electricity.
• 🔄 By 1920, the majority of people in England had moved away from agricultural work into industries such as factories, shops, and transportation, with significant advancements in technology and infrastructure.
• ⏱ The perception of time shifted from being tied to solar cycles to being measured in minutes and hours, reflecting the increased precision and pace of life.
• 🚗 Technological innovations like cars, radios, and airplanes emerged, showcasing the rapid development and the new possibilities for communication and transportation.
• 💡 The Industrial Revolution was driven by a series of incremental improvements and collaborations among many artisans, rather than single acts of genius.
• 👕 The textile industry saw major advancements with inventions like the spinning jenny and the water frame, leading to the rise of factories and increased production.
• 🌐 Global trade and the imitation of foreign products played a crucial role in the spread of industrialization, with Europe capitalizing on its expanding markets.
• 👨‍👧‍👦 The use of child labor and slave labor was prevalent in the early industrial era, highlighting the harsh conditions and exploitation that accompanied industrial growth.
• 👔 The social structure evolved with the emergence of the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, alongside the traditional aristocracy and peasantry.
• 🏭 Industrialization led to urbanization and the growth of cities, which in turn created a demand for various services and professions, changing the landscape of employment.
• 🌍 The Industrial Revolution is considered ongoing, with its impacts still shaping our lives today, unlike other historical revolutions which had clear endings.

Q & A

What is the significance of the Industrial Revolution in human history?

The Industrial Revolution is one of the most significant developments in human history as it marked a major turning point in the way people lived and worked, leading to dramatic changes in society, economy, and technology.

How did life in England in 1820 differ from life in previous centuries?

Life in 1820 was fundamentally similar to life in earlier centuries such as 1720, 1520, or 1220 in terms of daily activities and living standards, with people primarily working in agriculture and performing tasks by hand.

What major changes occurred between 1820 and 1920 due to the Industrial Revolution?

Between 1820 and 1920, most people in England transitioned from agriculture to working in factories, shops, transportation, and mining. There were significant technological advancements such as cars, radios, and refrigerators, and society began to measure time in minutes. Additionally, warfare became more deadly with the introduction of lethal weapons like chlorine gas.

What were some of the factors that contributed to the start of the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century?

Factors contributing to the start of the Industrial Revolution included a growing population due to improved health and nutrition, increased trade, and the division of labor which allowed for more efficiency in production.

How did the invention of the spinning jenny by James Hargreaves impact the textile industry?

The spinning jenny allowed a single person to spin up to 120 threads at once using just the power of their hand, significantly increasing the pace and productivity of weaving and leading to the need for more factories to house these machines.

What role did industrial espionage play in the Industrial Revolution?

Industrial espionage played a significant role as it helped European manufacturers to copy designs and techniques from more advanced regions, particularly in the production of cotton textiles, which were highly sought after by consumers.

How did the Industrial Revolution affect labor practices, particularly involving children?

The Industrial Revolution led to the exploitation of child labor, with children working long hours in factories and facing high risks of industrial accidents. They were often used to keep labor costs low and were victims of harsh working conditions.

What was the impact of the steam engine on industrial production and transportation?

The steam engine revolutionized industrial production by providing a more efficient source of power that could replace animal and water power. It also transformed transportation by powering trains, steamships, and eventually automobiles.

How did the social structure of Europe change during the Industrial Revolution?

The social structure evolved to include the bourgeoisie, who were the factory owners and wealthy individuals, and the proletariat or working class, who were the laborers in factories and other industries. A middle class also emerged, consisting of professionals like doctors and teachers.

What were the living conditions like in industrial cities during the Industrial Revolution?

Living conditions in industrial cities were often poor, with rapid urbanization leading to overcrowded slums, the spread of disease, and a lack of fresh and safe water supplies. Streets were filled with garbage, sewage, and animal excrement, creating an environment of filth and stench.

How did the Industrial Revolution influence the expectations for technological change in society?

The Industrial Revolution established the expectation that technologies would change dramatically within a person's lifetime and that each generation would use different tools for communication and work, an expectation that continues to shape our views on technological progress.

Outlines

00:00

🏭 The Dawn of the Industrial Revolution

This paragraph sets the stage for the Industrial Revolution by contrasting life in 1820 with that of 1920. In 1820, life in England was predominantly agricultural, with manual labor for chores and a reliance on natural cycles to measure time. By 1920, the scene had drastically changed with the rise of non-agricultural jobs, technological advancements like cars and radios, and the devastating impact of World War I. The paragraph emphasizes the rapid and transformative nature of the Industrial Revolution, highlighting the shift from a primarily agrarian society to one dominated by industrial and technological progress.

05:00

🔄 Incremental Innovations and the Birth of Factories

The second paragraph delves into the early stages of industrial production in the 18th century, focusing on the growth of Europe's population and the resulting increase in leisure time for learning and experimentation. It discusses the invention of devices like John Kay's flying shuttle and James Hargreaves' spinning jenny, which significantly boosted textile productivity. The paragraph also explains how these innovations led to the creation of the first factories, driven by the need to meet the growing demand for cloth both domestically and internationally. The narrative underscores the collaborative nature of invention and the role of espionage in acquiring advanced manufacturing techniques from other regions.

10:05

💼 Social and Economic Ramifications of Industrialization

This paragraph explores the profound social and economic changes brought about by industrialization. It discusses the rise of new social classes, such as the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, and the emergence of the middle class. The paragraph also touches on the plight of child laborers, the exploitation of slave labor, and the initial increase in demand for slaves due to industrial growth. Furthermore, it examines the role of the steam engine in revolutionizing power sources and its impact on transportation and urban development. The paragraph paints a vivid picture of the complex and often harsh realities of life during the Industrial Revolution.

15:09

🌆 Urbanization and the Transformation of Social Structures

The final paragraph discusses the spread of industrialization beyond its birthplace in England and the Low Countries, highlighting its continuous and transformative impact on society. It describes the urbanization around railway hubs and the emergence of new professional groups. The paragraph also addresses the changing roles and expectations of women, the formation of workers' clubs and unions, and the cultural shifts that led to the perception of women as 'angels in the household.' It concludes by reflecting on the ongoing nature of the Industrial Revolution and its enduring legacy on modern society.

Keywords

💡Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution refers to a period of significant industrial growth and technological innovation that began in the late 18th century and continued into the 19th century. It marked a major turning point in human history as agrarian societies became more industrialized and urban. In the video, the Industrial Revolution is the central theme, illustrating the profound changes it brought to everyday life, work, and society, such as the shift from agriculture to factory work and the invention of new technologies.

💡Agriculture

Agriculture is the practice of cultivating plants and animals to produce food, fiber, and other products. In the context of the video, it is highlighted that in 1820, most people in England were engaged in agriculture, which was the primary occupation prior to the Industrial Revolution. The script contrasts this with the situation in 1920, where the majority had moved to work in factories, shops, and other non-agricultural sectors.

💡Division of Labor

Division of labor is the specialization of tasks in a workforce, where each worker focuses on a specific aspect of production. The video explains how the Industrial Revolution increased the division of labor, making production more efficient. For example, farmers could concentrate on farming, and textile workers on textile creation, rather than each family producing everything they needed.

💡Textile Industry

The textile industry involves the production of fiber, yarn, and fabric by processes such as spinning, weaving, and knitting. The video script discusses the significant advancements in the textile industry during the Industrial Revolution, such as the invention of the spinning jenny and the water frame, which greatly increased the efficiency of textile production and led to the rise of factories.

💡Innovation

Innovation refers to the process of translating an idea or invention into a good or service that creates value or for which customers will pay. The script mentions several innovations like the flying shuttle, the spinning jenny, and the water frame, which were instrumental in the Industrial Revolution, improving production efficiency and leading to economic growth.

💡Urbanization

Urbanization is the increase in the proportion of people living in urban areas, resulting from migration from rural to urban areas. The video describes how the development of the steam engine and the growth of industry led to urbanization, with cities like Manchester growing rapidly and becoming hubs of industrial activity.

💡Steam Engine

The steam engine is a heat engine that uses steam to perform mechanical work. In the video, James Watt's improved steam engine is highlighted as a key innovation that replaced animal and water power, powering factories and revolutionizing transportation through trains and steamships.

💡Child Labor

Child labor refers to the employment of children in any work that deprives them of their childhood, potential, and dignity, and that is harmful to their physical and mental development. The script describes the grim reality of child labor during the Industrial Revolution, where children worked long hours in dangerous conditions, often resulting in severe injuries or death.

💡Social Classes

Social classes are relatively stable categories within a hierarchy of economic and social status. The video explains how the Industrial Revolution led to the prominence of new social classes, such as the bourgeoisie, who owned the means of production, and the proletariat, who were the working class laboring in factories.

💡Luddites

Luddites were 19th-century English textile workers who protested against newly developed labor-saving machinery from which they feared losing their jobs. The term has since been used to describe people who are opposed to especially technological change. In the script, Luddites are mentioned as an example of 'primitive' rebellion against the changes brought by industrialization.

💡Guilds

Guilds were associations of craftsmen or merchants that held considerable power in the economy of the Middle Ages. The script notes that the French Revolution had outlawed guilds, leading to the formation of new clubs and societies by industrial and other workers to protect their interests, which eventually evolved into unions.

Highlights

The Industrial Revolution is one of the most significant developments in human history, transforming daily life and work.

In 1820, life in England was similar to that of the medieval period, with agriculture as the primary occupation and a lack of modern conveniences.

By 1920, the majority of people in England worked in non-agricultural sectors such as factories, and had access to modern inventions like cars and radios.

The Industrial Revolution was characterized by incremental improvements in technology rather than single, groundbreaking inventions.

Inventions like the spinning jenny and the water frame increased textile production efficiency, leading to the rise of factories.

The Industrial Revolution was facilitated by the growth of the European population and increased availability of nutrients.

The rise of factories was partly due to the need to increase production to meet global and domestic market demands for English cloth.

Industrial spies played a significant role in technological advancements by copying designs and techniques from more advanced regions.

Cotton textiles from India and China inspired European manufacturers to innovate and produce similar lightweight and colorful clothing.

Labor costs were kept low by employing unpaid orphans and exploiting child labor, leading to high accident rates and worker exploitation.

The steam engine, improved by James Watt in 1776, revolutionized power generation and transportation, furthering industrialization.

Urbanization increased around railway hubs, creating demand for various services and infrastructure to support the growing population.

The social structure evolved with the emergence of the bourgeoisie and proletariat classes, alongside the aristocracy and peasants.

Women's roles in the workforce changed significantly, shifting from home-based work to factory labor and other industrial jobs.

Cultural norms began to discourage women from working outside the home, promoting the idea of women as 'angels in the household'.

Workers formed clubs and unions to protect their interests and negotiate better working conditions, moving away from destructive protests.

The Industrial Revolution led to rapid urban growth and poor living conditions, including slums, disease, and inadequate sanitation.

The Industrial Revolution is considered ongoing, with its impacts still being felt today, unlike other historical revolutions.

Transcripts

Hi I’m John Green and this is Crash Course European History.

So we’re going to turn our attention now to the Industrial Revolution, one of the most

significant developments in human history.

Like, imagine with me that it’s 1820.

I got this idea from the economist Robert Gordon by the way.

You live in, say, England.

You probably work in agriculture.

When you walk to town, you’re either pulling your own cart, or if you’re lucky you have

a horse.

You have no running water or electricity.

When you wash your few items of clothing, you do so by hand.

You cook over a fire.

You think of time not primarily in minutes and hours, but mostly in relationship to solar

cycles--how close it is to night, or to morning, or to midwinter.

And in all these respects, your life in 1820 is basically identical to the lives of people

in 1720, or 1520, or for that matter 1220.

That’s not to say life hasn’t changed in those hundreds of years--as we’ve explored

in this series, lots has changed--but as Gregory Clark observed, in terms of standard of living,

Europeans in 1800 basically led lives similar to those of Neandrathals.

Now imagine that you close your eyes in 1820 and wake up in 1920.

By now, most people in England do not work in agriculture.

They may work in shops, or transportation, or mining, oe workshops, or in factories.

They measure time in minutes.

Cars exist.

Some people have radios, which transmitted information through thin air.

A few people even have refrigerators, which dramatically decrease food spoilage and the

risk of foodborne illness.

Occasionally you might even see an airplane flying in the sky.

Oh, and also, your country has just emerged from an astonishingly deadly war fought with

highly lethal weapons such as chlorine gas, weapons that people of 1820 could not possibly

have imagined.

Welcome to the Industrial Revolution.

[Intro] In this series, we’ve already talked about

revolutions in agriculture that increased European productivity and revolutions in trade

that increasingly distributed goods among people in towns and cities instead of having

each individual family produce everything it needed.

And these forces combined to help create more division of labor: like, farmers could focus

on farming, and textile workers could focus on textile creation, which was more efficient

than having each family do every kind of work.

So let’s begin in the eighteenth century, when European industrial production is said

to have begun.

Europe’s population was growing after centuries of non-stop wars, plagues, and the worst of

the little ice age.

Meanwhile, products such as coffee, tea, and chocolate made with heated water killed bacteria,

while products from abroad expanded and varied the pool of nutrients, with corn and potatoes,

for instance, generally more calorie-dense per acre than wheat.

In short, lives were getting longer and populations rising.

This meant that on average people had a little more time to learn, tinker, and experiment.

Many different artisans invented small improvements to existing mechanical devices.

Perhaps most famously, John Kay’s flying shuttle increased the pace and productivity

of weaving.

Weavers then needed a greater amount of thread.

So tinkerers made that happen by producing inventions such as the spinning jenny, created

around 1764 by craftsman James Hargreaves.

The spinning jenny was a machine used by individual women working at home.

And it allowed a person, using just the power of their hand, to spin not one bobbin of thread,

but up to 120 at once.

In England, Ellen Hacking and her husband John were among those devising carding machines

to straighten cotton and wool fibers for spinning.

And at about the same time, Richard Arkwright and his partners invented the water frame,

another kind of spinning machine that used water power.

And when spinning machines could be linked to a central power source such as water, many

could be placed in a single building.

So, the world’s first factories arose in part from the pressure to increase production

of English cloth for global and domestic markets.

Did the center of the world just open?

Is one of my Polo shirts in there?

This cost like $41.

Twice a year I go to a Polo outlet in Southern Indiana and just buy as many of these things

as they’ll sell to me.

And look, I’m not here to advertise Polo shirts, but this thing is incredibly comfortable,

and also, it’s like dyed a specific color.

Everything about this was completely unimaginable in the early nineteenth century.

In fact, you know what?

It’s so soft to the touch, I think I’m going to put it on.

Is that weird.

Oh yeah!

I feel like I’m the bad guy in an 80s movie.

How do I look, Stan?

Oh, Stan says I look like Steve Bannon.

OK.

Thus ends that experiment, now back to the show.

Let’s talk about porcelain.

Another tinkerer was the alchemist Johann Friedrich Böttger who promised the king of

Saxony that he could figure out how to make porcelain.

Porcelain was such an obsession that wealthy people collected it and even those with far

less would try to buy a piece or two—a cup or plate—as we see in many Dutch, French,

and other paintings.

Two things you see a lot in European paintings of the affluent or those who aspired to affluence:

porcelain and pineapples, which were also quite rare and expensive and difficult to

produce domestically.

Porcelain was also practical, because Europeans did not know other ways to make heat resistant

dishware for their hot drinks.

So Böttger was virtually imprisoned until around 1708 when he figured out how to make

porcelain, although not as beautifully as the Chinese or Japanese did.

What we’re trying to get at here is that while people love a great story of an inventor

and their invention, the Industrial Revolution was the story of lots and lots of people working

together, making a series of incremental improvements, rather than, like, geniuses from on high creating

amazing things.

The real genius of humans is collaboration, and also spying.

Like for instance, Industrial spies helped with every development because other regions

were far more advanced than Europe in manufacturing, for instance, color fast dyes and heat-resistant

dishware, fine weaving and spinning, or even metallurgy.

Arkwright, for example, mostly copied designs from imported textiles.

And it was those cotton textiles that caught the imagination of consumers and filled pockets,

first of the people who imported textiles from India and China, and then of the daring

manufacturers who were successful at copying the lightweight, and colorful, and washable

cotton clothing.

But industrial production of cotton was really risky—the rate of business failure during

the Industrial Revolution was over 50 percent.

Because of that, experimenting manufacturers worked to keep labor costs as low as they

could.

One way was to use unpaid orphans from government, religious or charitable institutions as labour.

At a time when people didn’t know a lot about steam powered machinery and its dangers,

industrial accidents happened all the time, and children were often the victims.

Children worked incredibly long hours and deaths were common.

Little Mary Richards was caught up in a machine and six- and seven- year old orphans working

alongside her witnessed the quote “bones of her arms, legs, thighs, etc successively

snap... her head appeared dashed to pieces... her blood thrown about like water from a twirled

mop.”2 Now I know that’s very graphic, but I think

it’s important to understand the extent of industrial oppression, including the industrial

oppression of children.

Workers lost arms, eyes, breasts, and fingers or were otherwise disfigured.

Production and profits came first to avoid financial ruin.

And industry had other repercussions.

It initially increased the demand for slaves even more.

Slaves produced food for workers who had left farms for factories.

Slaves also produced tropical crops such as sugar, and tobacco, and coffee that boosted

the energy of many types of workers.

And slaves provided the palm and other tropical oils to keep machinery running as well as

the raw materials for industry, especially cotton.

It’s important to understand that industry thrived due to slave labor and inexpensive

child labor, and also through the labor of women, who were paid less than men.

Over time, more and more people began working in industrialized settings, or in economic

sectors that supported industry due in part to the development of the steam engine.

In 1776, English inventor James Watt launched a steam engine that improved earlier models.

Now as far back as Roman Egypt and then Ottoman Egypt and China, people had known about steam

engines, But Watt’s engine was more efficient, which made it useful in replacing animal and

water power, not just in mines but also powering textile factories, and then other machinery.

For millennia, almost all human power came from our muscles.

Then we harnessed some animal power, and eventually some wind and water power.

But steam power completely revolutionized how much work could be done on behalf of humans,

and also of course changed transportation when it was attached to covered and uncovered

wagons and ships to make trains and steamships and eventually automobiles.

And the train created another kind of demand: as urbanization soared around railway hubs,

small and grand train stations were built along with all the other buildings to house

the railway’s primary and secondary employees.

By secondary employees I mean, it wasn’t just station-masters, ticket-sellers, and

conductors, there was a need for shopkeepers, and pharmacists, and construction workers,

and teachers, and doctors, and and drivers of coaches, not to mention sanitation workers,

police, and urban administrators.

Industrialization had a snowball effect and it wasn’t gonna be turned back.

And all this mean that everyday life also transformed.

Two classes became prominent alongside the aristocracy and peasants in the social structure:

the bourgeoisie and proletariat or working class.

The bourgeoisie initially referred to people who lived in towns and cities or burgs/bourgs.

But the term came to refer to those who owned factories, banks, transportation networks,

and large tracts of land for raising livestock and crops.

The proletariat comprise the many factory and other workers who lacked tools or land

to support themselves but instead rather labored for factory owners and others who had the

means to produce.

In between were the rising professional groups, called the middle class in Europe: the doctors,

lawyers, teachers, and others with special skills that serviced society as a whole.

We will see this configuration change over the next two centuries and watch tensions

unfold among these groups, and at times boil over.

Women also experienced a transformation of everyday life.

In the preceding centuries, they had generally worked on farms or in workshops alongside

their artisan husbands or on their own as hatmakers, and seamstresses, and weavers,

and spinners.

During the early days of industrialization, women who had been spinning or weaving at

home often switched to factories.

And they did many other kinds of work; for example, eighteen-year-old Ann Eggly with

her younger sister worked twelve-hour days in the coal mines pushing carriages filled

with 800 pounds of coal (which was then used to make steam power).

She had done this kind of work since she was seven.

I don’t know if you know any seven year olds, but they should not be working in coal

mines.

Now you’ll recall that the French and American revolutions, with their emphasis on motherhood

and laws stripping women of their property, led to women being discouraged from work.

But many continued to do so even when their wages belonged to their husbands.

Factories also created (and still create) outwork done by women at home: polishing knives

or painting porcelain buttons for example.

But, ideology simultaneously shifted to say that women were to be “angels in the household,”

providing comfort from the horrors of industrial life, a cultural norm that discouraged work

outside the home.

In the meantime, the classes became aware of their individual identities.

The French had outlawed guilds during the revolution.

Industrial and other workers formed their own clubs to protect their interests.

They created singing, gymnastic, and sports clubs--this is why early English football

teams had names like Royal Engineers AFC and Civil Service FC.

These groups often had a lively cafe culture, where they discussed politics and read newspapers,

often allowed to their comrades because each cafe usually only had one newspaper.

Manufacturers and wealthy individuals in cities likewise formed groups based on their common

class position; they founded chambers of commerce to protect their financial interests and museums

to show off their city’s achievements and good taste.

Let’s go to the Thought Bubble.

1.

Initially, the rise of factories saw those left out of industrial work life,

2.

such as artisans and small farmers,

3.

protest by breaking machinery or threatening to do so.

4.

The “Swing riots” in Britain are one example of what has been called “primitive” rebellion.

5.

Instead of dealing with change by organizing to benefit from and shape the change,

6.

so-called primitive rebels went about breaking things.

7.

Wreckers of machinery were called Luddites

8. (as they still are today)

9. because menacing notes found alongside sabotage were often signed Ned Ludd.

10.

Ludd was an inspirational figure -- a weaver who allegedly smashed a textile machine in

the 18th century.

11.

But gradually, workers inside the factories formed mutual aid societies

12. and eventually unions that negotiated for better terms with owners.

And when negotiations failed,

13.

they went on strike as a group instead of wrecking the machines with which they earned

their living.

14.

All in all, industrialization wreaked havoc on people’s lives even as it provided many

with livelihoods.

15.

Towns grew astronomically: like textile center Manchester England went from 20,000 people

in the 1750s to 400,000 a century later.

16.

Conditions in Manchester were abominable, including the development of slums, and the

spread of disease.

17.

They came to lack fresh and safe supplies of water.

18.

Garbage and sewage, not to mention animal excrement, filled muddy streets,

19.

creating, in the words of one commentator, “a universal atmosphere of filth and stink.”[1]

20. and Conditions in other industrial cities hardly differed.

Thanks Thought Bubble.

So, Industrialization spread from England and the low countries where it began thanks

to the capital raised by worldwide trade, and because that trade made possible successful

imitation of foreign products.

But industrialization then spread.

It traveled the continent through the 19th century, although industrialization was less

dense in eastern Europe.

There, many peasants continued to live hand-to-mouth, but as we’ve seen, so did the poor in industrial

cities.

So was the Industrial Revolution a revolution?

Well, if a revolution is an event full of impact on people’s lives, it certainly was.

But often historians look at revolutions as, like, ending, which the Industrial Revolution

really hasn’t.

Unlike the comparatively brief English Revolution or American Revolution, many see the Industrial

Revolution as continuing to make dramatic changes in our way of life today.

Today, we expect technologies to change dramatically in our lifetimes.

We expect to use different tools to communicate and work than our parents used.

But that expectation is only a couple hundred years old.

It makes you wonder.

If you closed your eyes in 2020, and woke up in 2120, how weird is the world gonna be.

Ugh.

Thinking about that is stressing me out.Next time, we’ll look further at the cultural

and political aspects of industrialization.

I’ll see you then.

Thanks for watching.

________________ [1] Quoted in Lynn Hunt et al., The Making

of the West: Peoples and Cultures, 6th ed.

(Boston: Bedford St. Martin’s, 2019) 21.