Introduction

This blog is about Chapter 22: The Revolution in Energy and Industry. The chapter includes the Industrial Revolution; the rise of modern industry and its impact on Western society. The Revolution began in Britain and spread throughout Europe, with the factory system leading the way. Mass-production of goods led to a faster and more inexpensive product that changed the way that Europeans lived and worked.

My Unit Objective is to explain why the Industrial Revolution effected the entire world and introduce the people that were significant to this time period.

Essential Question:
Why did the Industrial Revolution begin in Britain and not somewhere else in the world?

Answer: Britain was surrounded by water, so they could ship their goods cheaply and easily. It had a successful central bank and credit markets that other countries did not have. Britain also had many colonies that produced raw materials and provided a market for British manufactured goods. The Agricultural Revolution also provided more people to work in the factories that were springing up everywhere in Britain. This happened because of the enclosure system, where farmers took their scattered land holdings into compact, fenced-in fields to farm more effectively. This took farmland from many other farmers in the area, forcing them to find work elsewhere.