Inventions and Technology
This invention improved textile production and increased cloth output dramatically.
Spinning Jenny
Movement of people from rural areas to cities for work.
Urbanisation
Workers often worked this many hours per day.
12–16 hours
This natural resource was essential for powering steam engines.
Coal
If a source is created during the time period being studied, it is called this.
Primary source
One positive impact of the Industrial Revolution.
Jobs, technology, improved transport, economic growth.
This invention used steam power to pump water from mines and later power factories.
Steam Engine
Houses built sharing back walls with little ventilation.
Tenements
Why were children commonly employed in factories?
Because they were cheaper to pay and could fit into small spaces around machinery
Iron ore and coal were located close together in Britain. Why was this important?
It reduced transport costs and helped industry grow.
Gustave Doré created engravings showing poverty. What perspective might he be showing?
Highlighting suffering/criticism of industrial society.
One negative impact of the Industrial Revolution.
Poor working conditions, child labour, pollution, slums.
This invention revolutionised transportation and connected industrial cities.
Railway/Steam Locomotive
Many poor families lived in these damp underground spaces.
Name one danger workers faced in factories.
Machinery accidents, lung disease, poor ventilation, long hours (any valid answer).
Industries were often built near rivers before steam power because…
Rivers provided water power and transport.
What is bias?
A one-sided perspective or viewpoint.
This term refers to large-scale production of goods.
Mass production
This industry was the first to industrialise in Britain.
Textile industry
Diseases that spread due to poor sanitation and overcrowding.
Cholera and Typhoid
This system meant workers were paid very little and had few rights.
Capitalism
This country was the first to industrialise.
Britain
If an image shows only slums, what might it leave out?
Positive aspects of industrialisation (jobs, progress, innovation).
Explain one reason someone in 1870 might say the Industrial Revolution was a good thing.
More jobs, higher wages (for some), innovation, improved transport.
This new method of production replaced handmade goods with machine production in factories.
Factory System
Give TWO problems caused by rapid urban growth.
Overcrowding, pollution, disease, lack of sanitation, poor housing (any two).
Explain why factory owners resisted improving conditions.
It would reduce profits, cost money, slow production, no laws forced them.
Explain how geography helped Britain industrialise first.
Access to coal, iron, rivers, ports, colonies, transport networks.
Why is it important to analyse the purpose of a source?
To understand why it was created and whether it is reliable or persuasive.
Why might a factory owner in 1850 believe the Industrial Revolution was successful, while a factory worker might disagree?
Factory owners → Profits, economic growth, innovation
Working class → Long hours, unsafe conditions, low pay
Children → Exploitation, dangerous labour
Explain how ONE invention changed both production AND society.
Example (Steam Engine):
Increased factory production
Allowed factories to move away from rivers
Led to railway expansion
Increased urbanisation
Strengthened British trade
How did rapid urbanisation contribute to disease outbreaks?
Overcrowding
Poor sanitation
No sewage systems
Contaminated water
Spread of cholera/typhoid
Lack of government regulation
How did factory work improve life for the working class?
Steady wages, job availability, economic growth
Explain how Britain’s natural resources helped factories develop quickly during the Industrial Revolution.
Britain had lots of coal
Coal powered steam engines
Britain had iron ore
Iron was used to build machines and railways
Resources were close together
This made production faster and cheaper
Evaluate the usefulness and limitations of a source showing slum conditions in 1870.
Useful because:
Shows overcrowding
Highlights poverty
Contemporary evidence
Limitations:
May exaggerate
Only shows one perspective
Doesn’t show positive impacts
Artist bias
Why is the question ‘Was the Industrial Revolution worth it?’ difficult to answer?
Why is the question ‘Was the Industrial Revolution worth it?’ difficult to answer?
Answer should recognise:
Different perspectives
Short-term vs long-term effects
Owners vs workers
Progress vs suffering