The Role of the Factory in the Early Industrial Revolution

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What was the role of the factory in the early Industrial Revolution? What made the factory system possible?

The Industrial Revolution in Great Britain is recognized as a period of great industrial capitalism, machine development, and emergence of the working class.1 The growth of factories began shortly after Richard Arkwright patented the spinning frame in 1769.2 Factories allowed for hundreds of unskilled workers to find jobs running machines and drastically changed their lifestyles as jobs moved away from rural areas. The putting-out system, where jobs were subcontracted, slowly came to an end because work became centralized in factories. 3 Few industries continued on with domestic manufacturing such as the iron industry. At the height of the Industrial Revolution, few laws had been passed to protect all workers.

A factory system has four main characteristics; mechanized equipment, workers under one roof, division of labor, and supervision of employees.3 The technological advances of cotton jennies, water frames, and steam power quickly grew too large to fit into households leading to factories replacing the once domestic system.3 Once factories were in place, people in rural areas who were unable to find work took jobs in the factories. The Industrial Revolution in Britain was successful because of the investment of machinery, use of supervision, and improvement of quality control. 4The factory system allowed for materials and goods to be made faster and at a reduced cost. Pre-Industrial Revolution, work hours were erratic and long periods of inactivity were the norm. In the agriculture business, laborers worked in conjunction with the harvest schedule. With factories, a steady production schedule was mandatory to keep...

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...plementarity: the Factory System in the British Industrial Revolution." Doctor of Philosophy diss., Northwestern University, 2002.
6 Galbi, Douglas. "Economic Change and Sex Discrimination in the Early English Cotton Factories." working paper., King's College, 1994. GalbiThink www.galbithink.org/womwork.htm.
7. Stearns, Peter N.. The Industrial Revolution in World History. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 1993

8. Hutchins, Elizabeth Leigh, and J. J. Mallon. Women in modern industry .. with a chapter contributed by J.J. Mallon.. London: G. Bell and Sons, 1915.
9. Clarke, Allen. Effects of the factory system on women & children. Bolton [England: Pendlebury and Sons, 1899.
Unknown. "Women Factory Workers." Woman's Leader and The Common Cauce, July 18, 1913.
Unknown. "The Human Results of the Industrial Revolution." Woman's Leader and The Common Cause, August 3, 1917.

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