Industrial Revolution: Origins and Expansion

Posted on Feb 16, 2025 in Geography

Origins of the Industrial Revolution

Pre-industrial societies faced significant limitations, leading to economic, nutritional, and demographic stagnation. Subsistence agriculture and craft industries predominated. Transport and trade were slow, hampered by customs. In 18th-century Lancashire, a British region experienced a process of industrial concentration with the creation of new industries. This process is known as the *Industrial Revolution* in Britain. The development of modern industry was driven by transformations in agriculture, banking, transport, and trade. This was first launched in the UK. This initial industrial revolution, initiated between 1780 and 1870, was marked by the emergence of coal as an energy source. The second Industrial Revolution began in 1870 and was characterized by electricity, oil, and the internal combustion engine.

Demographic Revolution

The English population tripled in a century and a half. Population growth resulted from two processes: a decline in both the birth rate and mortality. Improvements in diet, increased production, new modes of transport, and advancements in medicine and hygiene contributed to this growth.

The Agricultural Revolution

Agriculture contributed decisively to the success of industrialization. The process of enclosure laws increased. Effects of enclosures:

  • Drainage work forced people into the cities, where they formed the industrial proletariat.
  • New techniques were introduced.
  • Enclosures prevented livestock from passing through the fields, and livestock became stabled.

Productivity increased by 90%. The development of agriculture fueled industrial growth.

Industrial Conditions Favoring the UK

  1. Institutional and Political Context: The UK had a parliamentary monarchy dominated by the middle classes.
  2. It was the first maritime power, and British commercial losses were compensated by the commercial activity of Spain and Portugal.
  3. Liberalization of the agricultural sector was approved, providing a significant boost to industry.

Revolution in Transportation

Stephenson constructed the first locomotive. Consequences:

  1. It benefited the metallurgical industry, which was making rails.
  2. Significant development of civil engineering for railway layouts.
  3. It facilitated the transport of heavy materials.
  4. It shortened travel times.
  5. It lowered the prices of raw materials and products.
  6. It promoted the formation of large capital companies, requiring huge investments.
  7. People began to travel.

The transport network was completed with Robert Fulton’s steamboat in 1807.

Spread of Industrialization

Belgium

Dominant sectors were textiles, metallurgy, and steel. The steel industry was concentrated in Liège, where the transport network facilitated the arrival of coal. The textile sector was prominent in regions such as Ghent, Verviers, and Flanders. Banking was created to allow investments in various sectors.

France

Agricultural and demographic changes differed from those in Britain:

  1. After the French Revolution, lands were scattered among the peasants, halting emigration to the cities.
  2. Birth rates dropped, resulting in slow population growth.

Investments were directed towards the real estate market.

Germany

The first problem was the absence of a common economic space. Economic unification occurred between 1815 and 1834 with the creation of the customs union. The most dynamic sectors were metallurgy and the cotton textile industry. Industrialization occurred in the Ruhr, Saar, and Silesia regions. This process was initiated by entrepreneurs.