British Industrial Revolution Research Paper

The Industrial Revolution of the late 18th and early 19th century reflected a remarkable and substantial period in history which represented the many ways European society and culture advanced and adapted to the changing new world. Under examination, the British Industrial Revolution conjures up a multitude of pre-conditions which all affected the outcome of this time period. Though there is no direct or conclusive cause or origin of the Industrial Revolution, Most substantially, the introduction of raw material, the demand for labor from a growing and changing urbanized population, and technological advances in transportation allowed for the prospects of the industrial revolution to spread not only throughout Britain but all of Europe.

Luckily, Britain, according to John Merriman of the book, A History of Modern Europe explains that “Britain was blessed with coal near water transportation (...) which made it possible for raw

As this demand was increasing, so was the world’s population. In fact, as mentioned in the video, The Technology of the Industrial Revolution, “in 1850, the population had increased to over sixteen and a half million” (Video 2). Most significantly, this increased population shifted away from rural living to a more urbanized setting. In her dissertation, The British Industrial Revolution, Phyllis Deane asserts that many, “migrants were attracted by the prospect of higher wages and more continuous employment than [what] was available in the rural areas from which they came” (Deane p. 25). This resulted in the expansion of urbanized cities and living. In turn, the rapid urbanization of a population generated a different standard of working for new generations of people, especially children. Children were the forefront for labor and employment opportunities. As discussed by the video, The Children who Built Victorian Britain: Part One, “40% of the population were under 15 [and] most of them were sent to work” (Video 3). Successively new generations of children were mainly raised with the principles and aspects of factory work, unlike a majority of their parents that came from a more rural and country setting. Essentially the shift from rural living to city living also transcended in the way work and employment was performed and accomplished. In the