In the XVIIth and the XIXth centuries, especially between 1750 and 1850, trade, industry and towns, especially in the North of England and in the Midlands became much more important than before. This change, called the Industrial Revolution slowly altered the appearance of the country, as well as the ways in which people lived and worked.
The main change that took place was a result of the invention of machines to do work that used to be done by hand, as in the cloth making industry. These machines, driven at first by water and later by steam, were so large that they had to be put into special buildings.
As the Industrial Revolution got under way, more iron of better quality was needed. To make iron coal was also needed and so the industries were concentrated
in the North of England and in the Midlands.
Manufacturers also had to have their goods transported from the North of England and the Midlands to London and the big ports. A network of canals soon appeared and they proved to be an easy way of moving heavy loads.
The single most important invention of the Industrial Revolution was the steam engine. Textile mills used to depend on the water power, but they had to stop work when the river dried up in hot weather or froze in winter. In 1769 James Watt made the first efficient steam engine. Later, George Stephenson took Watt's invention further: in 1814 he invented the steam rail locomotive and by 1850 a railway network covered the country.
People were driven from the country into towns and became the working " proletariat", which turned Britain into a trade and industrial empire of the XIXth century.
Britain's empire was protected by a strong navy which endagered the ones of Britain's enemies.Power belonged to the groups from which the ministers came and their supporters in Parliament.
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About the Industrial Revolution written by Herminne Tonita for FamousWhy.com
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by Herminne Tonita -