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Hand Labour and Steam Power - Coggle Diagram
Hand Labour and Steam Power
Pace of Industrial Change
Most dynamic industries in Britain were
cotton and iron and steel
Cotton was
leading sector up to 1840's
With
expansion of railways in England in 1840's
and
in colonies in 1860's
,
demand for Iron & steel ⬆
1873-
Britain exported I&S worth 77 mil pounds
New industries couldn't
easily
displace traditional industries
Ordinary small scale inventions
were
basis of growth
in non-mechanised sectors like
building, pottery, glass work, tanning,etc
Technological changes occurred slowly
James Watt improved steam engine
by Newcomen
in 1781, but no buyers
No more than
321 steam engines over England
Labour
Victorian Britain had
no shortage of human labour
Industrialasts
did not want new machines
as
they got rid of human labour
Demand for labour was often seasonal
Gas works and breweries
busy
during ❄months
Industrialists preferred hand labour,
employing workers for season
Machines
produced
standardised goods for mass market
But,
demand in market
was for goods with
intricate designs
&
specific shapes
Life of Workers
Hundreds of
ppl came to cities in search of jobs
Actual possibility of getting a job
depended upon network of friends and relations
Many job-seekers
spent nights under bridges
, or
in night shelters
Some stayed in
Night Refuges set up by pvt indis
, or in
Casual Wards maintained by Poor Law Authorities
After busy season, poor were on streets
, or some
went to rural areas when labour demand opened up
Spinning Jenny
Invented by
James Hargreaves in 1764
Speeded up spinning process
and
reduced labour demand
Women
who survived on hand spinning began attacking the new machines
After 1840's,
building intensified in the cities
, so
employment grew
Roads were widened
,
new railway stations were set up
,
no. of workers in transportation industry doubled