Society And The Industrial Revolution Essay, Research Paper

What was the most important factor in the development of industrialisation?

Justify your choice.

Necessity is the mother of invention A popular saying which can be true of the industrial revolution in Britain in the 18th and 19th centuries. As a result of the rapidly increasing population during this time, there was a high demand and need for essential items (such as clothing and food) to enable the population to survive. This meant the invention of machines and tools for the mass production of goods, to accommodate the people. The invention of machines led to factories, trading opportunities, transport networks and economic growth. It was the increase in population which lead to these discoveries, and the most important factor in the development of industry in Britain.

In order to provide food for a growing population, the farming methods used needed improving. The most important improvement is the invention of the seed drill. This enabled faster production and not as many men were required to do the job. Other improvements such as the enclosing of land also allowed faster production, as there was a huge demand for food. This is directly as a result of the increased population and this factor importantly contributed to the need for change in farming techniques, and the advance in industrialisation in the agriculture industry.

The population s demand for clothing was high and as a result many inventions were made in what became known as the textile industry. To mass-produce cloth, there were a number of important inventions. These included the flying shuttle , the spinning jenny , the water frame and the mule . These inventions resulted in the building of factories to mass-produce cloth which is necessary in the making of clothes which in turn were in high demand for the increased population. The inventions in cloth production and the building of factories were a major step and advance in technology. They also played a big part in the development of industrialisation, however the advances were directly as a result of the demand for the increased population.

The building of factories and advances in farming methods led to mass production. To accommodate for the increase in produce to feed and clothe a huge population, the goods needed to be transported over the country. This factor led to the advances in transportation and sparked trade development amongst other nations. Ships were improved into stronger and bigger steam ships to carry goods across water and trains transported goods across the land. Ships and trains were great inventions, which allowed a quicker means of transport for the growing population. The transportation and trade improvements allowed the population to travel and played a huge part in the industrialisation of Britain. This development of transportation and trade was necessary due to the growing population.

Industrialisation in Britain bought about many changes in society. These changes included the advances in farming methods, the new technology in cloth making in factories and the improvements in transport and trade. All of these changes were necessary to accommodate the increase in population, which was the most important factor in the development of industrialisation.