Technological Change in England since 1700
Land and the production of crops at the same time the resources on agriculture
created wealth in the state and individuals in England. It is estimated that
over 90% of the country's population live in rural areas were most of their
jobs are connected with agricultural production such as making tools, caring
for domestic animals and selling agricultural products. Urban life was a dream
comes true for only a small portion of the world as agriculture is their main
basis of economy.
Increase in population means high demand on goods while productivity was very
slow using these agricultural systems and techniques. The expansion on trading
connections grows in number giving much pressure and emphasis to produce more
goods, faster and at lower prices. England was in winning and pleasing position
to take advances on technological possibilities to produce goods faster in volume
but more cheaply by means of scientific standard and formulas.
The inventions of machines (between early 1700s to late 1800s) to better understand
the process in production of goods was the first evident of industrialization
occurred in mainland England. Concerned individual seeing the need for greater
output solved the problems of impotent production by inventing machines to accelerate
the speed of work. The flying shuttle that made it possible for one person to
weave wide bars of cloth by using a spring as assembly of moving parts that
sent the shuttle container across the power-driven apparatus But, this invention
overturn the balance between the weavers of cloth and spinners of yarn. It is
the time when a carpenter named James Hargreaves invented a Spinning jenny in
1765. It was considered a perfect time for England because a spinning wheel
that performs spontaneously and allows the spinner to keep up with the weavers
to increase the slow process of spinning was discovered. Years later, another
spinning machine was introduced by Richard Arkwright that aims to increase the
amount of cotton thread made by dragging up to water power source engine.
As the speed of spinning production increases, attention was focused on increasing
the ability and quality of weaving with better and more efficient looms or apparatus.
It means improvement of devices for weaving thread or yarn into textiles that
can range from very small manual frames to large free standing hand machines,
to huge automatic mechanical devices. Its purpose is to hold bended threads
under straining to help forward the interweaving of the woven threads. Came
the steam powered machines produced from coal, where textile industry become
so large that it outgrew the possibilities of its power source. Machines powered
by human and animal strengths became limited, not impressive and expensive that's
why innovators turned to natural sources to power their machines resulted on
how to use steam for power. One example is the "atmospheric engine"
invented by Thomas Newcomen in 1705 that can power the come forth from transportation
systems that help move goods and people.
The application of steam powered engine in weaving threads made it possible
to expand the use of cloth and textile making machines to new area in England
after hand apparatus machine began to disappear from commercial textile. The
steps in increasing textile production were repeated all over again to other
goods production to satisfy absolutely unlimited demand. These factors came
together resulting to more money, labor, new discoveries and mass production
along with the other series of effects in the entire England.
Original Authors: Phil Post
Edit Update Authors: None
Updated On: 21/01/2007
