Causes of Industrialization
Examine why the shift to more factory production happened.
Examine why the shift to more factory production happened.
Industrialization happens when a society moves away from farming and manufacturing increases. About two centuries ago, England was mostly an agrarian, or farming, society. Then, a few important inventions - the cotton gin, the steam engine, and the spinning jenny - occurred. Very quickly. people were leaving their farms to move to cities to work in factories. Most of them never went back.
What led to England’s Industrial Revolution?
How did certain inventions play a role in this change?
Why is this time period called a “revolution”?
Innovation is when new inventions change the way people live. A little over two-hundred years ago, innovation in England and Europe increased. It was no surprise that this led to enormous changes in how people live and work.
Essential questions:
What new inventions caused the Industrial Revolution in England?
How did these innovations change how people did things?
Suggested Activity: And the Winner Is…
New technology helped large farms in Europe increase production. More food was produced than was needed. Smaller farmers were struggling. Many families packed up and moved to the cities. As the population of cities grew, so did the number of factories.
Essential questions:
How did changes in technology affect farmers?
How did the growth of cities lead to the rise in factories?
What effect did the growing number of factories have on England?
Suggested Activity: Picture It!
Before the Industrial Revolution, most people in England were farmers. The Agricultural Revolution in the early 1700s changed that. New machines increased food production. Fewer farmers were needed. They quit farming and headed to cities.
Essential questions:
What was the Agricultural Revolution?
How did it lead to the Industrial Revolution?
How did this change the way people lived and worked?
Suggested Activity: Be The Teacher
Related Social Studies Topics
Timeline Challenge
Start a class timeline (or add to an existing timeline) showing causes of England's Industrial Revolution.
Debate
Statement: The Industrial Revolution was inevitable.
Create:
(Not sure what to do? Create a graph that shows the population shifts in England from 1800 to 1850!)
STEM
Just for Fun
Industrial Revolution crossword puzzle.
Image Attributions