Module 13 - THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
0. OBJECTIVES
In this module you will learn
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a model of the long term causes of the Industrial
Revolution ( IR) (why the IR took place when and where it did)
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a brief history of the 4 phases of the IR
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how the development of distillation techniques
in France illustrates several features of the IR
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how to evaluate the level of industrialization
of societies today
1. LONG TERM CAUSES OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
(IR)
The Industrial Revolution began about 1750 in
England.
The principal cause of the IR was the growing
store of technological information accumulated in the latter part of the
agrarian era, particularly advances in navigation & shipbuilding, and
the invention of the printing press (by Johann Gutenberg in Germany in
about 1450).
The model in Figure 9.1 shows how technological
advances in 2 areas (navigation & shipbuilding; invention of the printing
press ) led to the IR through a series of steps, beginning by the discovery
of the New World, on one hand, and the success of the Protestant Reformation,
on the other. The model summarizes the long chain of causes and effects
that led to the Industrial Revolution.
Some of the trends involved in the onset of the IR
can be documented more precisely. One of them is the episode of inflation
caused by the influx of gold and silver from the New World that started in Spain
and spread to the rest of Europe.
NOTES:
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decomposing skeletons in the picture of the printing
press are typical of Middle Ages fatalism and preoccupation with death
(EX: The Name of the Rose by Umberto Ecco, made into movie with
Sean Connery)
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the thesis of a substantial influence of the Protestant
Reformation on the IR is associated with German sociologist Max Weber (The
Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism)
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Weber's thesis is controversial, in part because
regions first industrialized after England are largely Catholic (Belgium,
northern & eastern France, western Germany); Protestantism may
have had no effect at all on the IR
Q - Why was the discovery of the New World important
in preparing the way for the IR?
Q - What was the single most important cause
of the IR?
Q - The IR began about what date?
Q - What did Max Weber say about the relationship
between the Protestant Reformation and the IR?
2. PHASE 1 OF IR - ABOUT 1750 TO 1850
1. Early Industrialization in England
The traditional system of manufacturing was the
putting-out system, also called cottage industry.
The early phase of the IR took place in England,
at first in the textile industry. Technological progress in the textile
industry was driven by a process of positive feedback between the
spinning and weaving components of textile manufacturing, so that each
innovation in one component induced further innovation in the other component:
Positive feedback model of early IR in
textile industry
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SPINNING
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<------------------------------------->
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WEAVING
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(EX: Spinning Jenny)
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(EX: Flying shuttle)
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Thus,
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Machines become heavier
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Thus,
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Extra power is needed
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(Watermills, then steam engine)
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Thus,
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Emergence of factory system, replacing
cottage industry
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(Because production must be concentrated near
the power source, and machines become too expensive to be owned by workers)
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Thus,
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Profound social transformations
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(Urban influx, crowding, unprecedented
social problems)
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Some immediate consequences of the IR:
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the factory system
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the industrial town
Two "icons" of the early industrial revolution,
children at work in a factory and the industrial town:
In the early stages of the IR, living conditions
actually deteriorated for large parts of the population.
2. The Logic of Industrial Progress: Evolution
of Distillation in France
In 1780, major industrialist Chaptal adopted a
standard model of still for the distillation of wine.
After 1780, distillation technology in France
evolved toward 2 major goals:
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a one-pass process yielding any degree of purity
(proof)
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a continuous process (as opposed to the traditional
batch process)
Minor goals were also achieved during this evolution:
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elimination of the "fire-taste" by use of overheated
steam instead of naked fire
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greater fuel economy
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improved safety (lower risk of explosion)
The evolution of distillation in France illustrates
several important features of the early phase of industrialization: (1) the growing impact of science on industrial technology,
(2) the central role of the
self-taught amateur-inventor and the romance surrounding him, and (3) the impact of industrialization
on the legal system (EX: development of patent laws).
- Exhibit: Front page
of Louis Figuier (n.d.) Les merveilles de l'industrie. Volume 4: Industries
agricoles et alimentaires. Paris, France: Furne Jouvet.
- Exhibit: Early
still from the Middle Ages (ca. 1250) (Figuier Figure 233 p. 420)
- Exhibit: Still
from ca. 1650 (Figuier Figure 237 p. 425)
Note absent or inefficient cooling system.
Because of beliefs concerning the chemical nature of alcohol as "fire water".
- Exhibit: Standard
still adopted by Chaptal in 1780 (Figuier Figure 242 p. 429)
This model of still (the Chaptal still) was chosen after a public competition
for the best device.
- Exhibit: The Woolf
device (Figuier Figure 243 p. 433)
This is a laboratory apparatus. It illustrates
how for the first time during the Industrial Revolution science begins
to affect the industrial process.
- Exhibit: Edouard
Adam's device patented in 1805 (Figuier Figure 245 p. 439)
This device was a direct "translation" in
brass of Woolfe's device. Adam's still was expensive and dangerous,
but it allowed one-pass processing.
- Exhibit: Isaac Berard
experimenting with his device, alone at night (Figuier Figure
248 p. 449) Note the mystique of the
amateur-inventor,
a principal character of the IR. Later, technological progress will
fall in the hands of scientifically-trained professionals such as engineers
and scientists.
- Exhibit: First device
of Isaac Berard, ca. 1804 (Figuier Figure 250 p. 451)
- Exhibit: Detail
of Berard device (Figuier Figure 249 p. 450)
This new device was equally as effective,
but also cheaper and safer than Adam's device. Furthermore, it could
be just added as an upgrade to the standard Chaptal still.
Later technological development will transform
Berard's cylinder from horizontal to vertical.
- Exhibit: Derosne
& Cail device of ca. 1825 to distill wine (Figuier Figure
258 p. 473)
- Exhibit: Section
view of the Derosne & Cail column, bottom (Figuier Figure 259 p.
475)
- Exhibit: Section
view of the Derosne & Cail column, top (Figuier Figure 260
p. 476)
- Exhibit: Desire
Savalle device to distill wine (Figuier Figure 262 p. 479)
This is later, improved version.
The ultimate result of this technological evolution
is the modern fractionating column.
Q - A version of this device was adopted as
the principal machine in another important modern industry. Which
one? (Hint: this industry is also based on processing liquid raw
material.)
3. PHASE 2 OF IR - ABOUT 1850 TO 1900
During this and later phases, industrialization
spreads to other industries and other societies
1. Principal Industries
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railroads
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rubber (Charles Goodyear's discovery of vulcanization;
What is the principle of vulcanization?)
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synthetic (artificial) dyes (derived from the chemical
aniline)
2. Organizational Changes
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rise of modern bureaucratic firms (corporations), versus traditional
family-owned firms
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rise of trained professionals (engineers, scientists)
versus self-taught amateurs
4. PHASE 3 OF IR - ABOUT 1900 TO WORLD WAR
II
Principal industries are related to new energy
sources:
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electricity (Thomas Edison)
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internal combustion engine, leading to the rise
of the automobile industry (first in Germany and France, and then in the United States)
Q - In what country did industrial production
of automobiles develop first around the turn of the century? (A - France)
5. PHASE 4 OF IR - AFTER WORLD WAR II TO
PRESENT
Technological progress in many industries has
been accelerated as an effect of the war effort by countries involved in the
conflict. EX: the
aviation industry was affected by the war with
respect to both technology (jet engine, radar) and personnel (demobilized
pilots)
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plastics
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nuclear
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aluminum
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electronics
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computers
6. INDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES TODAY
Q - "In the early stages of the IR, living
conditions improved greatly for the vast majority of the population."
(TRUE/FALSE?)
Q - In the United States, when did machine-based
industry replace agriculture as the most important activity? (1730;
1780; 1800; 1870; 1930)
Today's technological progress may be viewed
as a continuation of the industrial revolution.
How to measure industrialization? 2 common
measures are:
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Gross National Product per Capita (GNP/cap), or
sometimes Gross Domestic Product per Capita (GDP/cap) (which excludes income
from investments abroad)
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Energy Consumption per Capita (in KWH or Kg of
coal equivalent)
Both measures must be interpreted cautiously. (Why?)
Who are the industrial societies today?
GNP/cap stands for Gross National Product per
capita. GNP/cap figures based on exchange rates can be very misleading,
however, as indicators of industrialization.
The map reveals the origin of the expression
"North vs. South" used in discussing industrial vs. developing societies
Last modified 28 Oct 2004
