The technological

innovations that led to

the Industrial
Revolution, and other
conditions that
influenced
industrialisation.

© The Patriot Resource 2022

Industrial Revolution
▪ Describes the massive changes in producing goods that occurred
in the 18th and 19th centuries.
▪ Started in Britain and spread to the rest of Europe and North
America.
▪ Agriculture, mining and transport were rapidly developed.
▪ Way everyday people lived changed dramatically.
What are the reasons for the Industrial Revolution?
(Hint: Begin with the letter M)
Industrial Revolution Timeline

1400–1800 1800's 1870's

Agricultural Revolution in England Industrial Revolution in Belgium, Industrial Revolution in Japan
Advancement in fertilizer, crop France & Germany
rotation, and using machines
in farming like thrashers, tractors
& Jethro Tull’s Seed Drill

Industrial Revolution in England

Textiles, machines Mid 1800's
in factories, canals, railways, etc.  • Industrial Revolution in the United States

1700's Mid 1800's

CAUSES OF THE
INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION
Why did the Industrial Revolution start in
Great Britain in the 1750s?
CAUSE : MIGRATION OF MANPOWER DUE
TO AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION
▪ Crop yields increased due to two factors:
▪ Enclosure movement – joining small parcels of land into larger fields
and enclosing them.
▪ Improved farming techniques by increasing soil fertility and stronger
farm implements.

Mechanisation in Agriculture 
Reduced Human Work in Countryside 
Greater Migration to the Cities
CAUSE: MIGRATION OF MANPOWER DUE
TO AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION
▪ New tools + fertilizers + harvesting techniques = increased productivity

Innovation:
- Seed Drill
- Planting seeds easier

Impact:
- Fewer farmers needed

Move to the cities for jobs!

CAUSE: MATERIALS
▪ Abundance of coal fields & iron
mines used in production and
transport.

▪ Great Britain had inland waterways

 rivers and development of canals
allowed the transport resources and
initially powered machines.
CAUSE: MACHINES AND MAKERS
▪ Number of people who were willing to innovate. Innovations mean:
▪ Produce more goods in less time, for less money

Spinning Jenny Water-Frame Crompton’s Mule Steam-Engine

Hargreaves Arkwright Kelly James Watt
CAUSE: MARKET
▪ British Colonies shipped
goods and raw materials to
Britain  turned into
finished products.
▪ Manufactured goods sold
throughout the world and
Britain’s colonies.
▪ High demand for goods 
improvements in
production.
CAUSE: MINDESET & MONEY
▪ Free enterprise economic thinking developed.
▪ Stable government gave confidence to investors and owners of land and
wealth.
▪ Wealth obtained from colonies allowed certain people to afford to invest
in new ideas.
Industrial Revolution
Inventions
Factory system
▪ Before the factory system manufacturing took place in workers’
cottages (‘cottage industries’). 
▪ Factory system brought together large numbers of workers in a
single site. 
▪ Few of these workers were skilled as most of the manufacturing
was done by machines. 
▪ Machines were first powered by water, then steam and later
electricity. 
Cotton, wool and iron production 
▪ The first factories of the Industrial
Revolution were cotton mills. 
▪ Inventions such as the flying shuttle,
spinning jenny, water frame and
Crompton’s mule paved the way for
mass production of cotton and wool. 
▪ Invention of the blast furnace and the
Bessemer process enabled mass
production of iron and steel. 
Development of steam engine
▪ Invention of the steam engine
revolutionised manufacturing, transport
and electricity. 
▪ Thomas Savery and Thomas Newcomen
developed early steam engines to pump
water out coal mines. 
▪ James Watt and Matthew Boulton
created an improved version that was
more practical and powerful. 
 Transport
▪ Quicker and cheaper forms of transport were
demanded by industrialists to move coal to
factories, ship products to markets and speed
up travel between cities. 
▪ New inventions included steam locomotives,
steamships and the internal combustion
engine. 
▪ As new modes of transport became
available, demand for new and improved,
roads, bridges, canals and railway lines grew
rapidly.