La Rivoluzione Industriale in Gran Bretagna, Sintesi del corso di Inglese

Scarica La Rivoluzione Industriale in Gran Bretagna e più Sintesi del corso in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION At the end of the 18th century economic changes transformed Britain from an agrarian to an industrialised nation. These changes had begun after the last period of the Black Death, when living standards rose, the population increased and agriculture was intensified by the enclosure of smaller portions of lands and new systems for taking care of the soil that made the land more fertile. Increased food production encouraged population growth and this led to greater consumption and industrial demand . Indeed the demand for goods for the home and for pleasure grew as the textile and cloth making industry. The clothing of ordinary people changed dramatically with the introduction of machine-made goods. The advance of the revolution was made possible by a series of technological innovations that improved productivity.Thomas Newcomen invented the steam engine, perfected and improved by James watt; James Hargreaves spinning jenny increased spinning efficiency and Edmund Catwright’s loom linked cloth manufacturing to water and steam power. As a result of these new inventions, cheaper products met the growing demand for goods and innovation became linked to energy generated from coal. Factory workers were paid low wages that barely allowed them to have the money for their rent and food and had long working hours. Small towns were constructed quickly for the workers near the factories , but they often lacked basic public services like a clean water supply, proper sanitation,....The air and water were polluted and the small houses were overcrowded. Many working class-families needed additional income, so their children had to work; in fact, factory owners wanted to employ children for several reasons: first they could pay them less than adults for doing the same work; second, they were easier to control and generally more obedient than adults( physical abuse was very common); third because of their little size and small hands which could more easily reach parts of the machines to repair them.