They say every invention starts as an idea. However, it seems that ideas result from the materials. The materials inspire an idea within the mind of someone trying to improve a situation to meet a demand. These inventors and inventions are typically thought and created by people who question theories as the world and society around them evolves. What I’m getting at is that I don’t believe that there is one cause for the Industrial Revolution. After reviewing the resources presented, it seems that there is a sequence of events that leads to any revolution.
However, speaking with the Industrial Revolution in mind, the elements that appear to have contributed most to the Industrial Revolution are the increasing population, the raw materials, the role of inventors and inventions, and the changing of scientific attitudes. The revolution begins with the people and the demand for increased food production and the raw materials necessary for survival and comforts. Merriman writes, “Europe’s population grew from an estimated 187 million in 1800 to about 266 million in 1850, an increase of 43 percent” (Merriman p. 515).
With the population increasing by such a large margin, the demand for goods and services increased. As the demand increases, more raw materials such as coal for example, must be harvested to supply the production machines with the necessary energy to produce the goods and supply to population. Based on this logic and reasoning, it seems that the population growth is the starting point of the revolution. Population growth can be attributed to longer lifespans that were aided by new inventions such as certain vaccinations and increasing sanitary measures.
According to Merriman, “Sand filters and iron pipes helped make water more pure. Improvements in reservoirs, the first of which was built in 1806 increased the availability of clean water (Merriman p. 516). While I’m aware that infant mortality rates remained high within certain regions of Europe, I’ve pointed out the inventions for water sanitation to lead me into what | believe to be the next element that paved the way for the Industrial Revolution, that being the role of inventors and inventions and how they were impacted by the shift in scientific attitudes.
When deciding to invent something new, the inventor must take into consideration the need for the people. Overtime, basic needs became a little more complex. Health measures were not being met for some time and as a result, many people died from disease and famine. The production of food was not being met for the population and people were becoming ill without a remedy. When faced with a crisis, inventors must take a scientific approach to find a proper solution for wide spread issues throughout Europe. It seems most relevant to note the reason that scientific attitudes were able to develop and adapt within Britain.
The narrator from movie 1 claims, “In Britain, scientific didn’t suffer censorship by the church or state” (Movie 1). It can be argued that Britain was at the forefront of the industrial revolution due to this lack of censorship. New ideas could be discussed and implemented without being challenged by powerful authorities. Focusing on farming, in order to increase the production of food more land must be acquired and prepared for larger crops. The increasing amount of land would be hard to manage without the proper tools.
In comes the inventor with an idea to make more farming land out of hard to manage grounds. Merriman explains, “Capital-intensive production (larger-scale and marketorientated farming) underlay the agricultural revolution. More land gradually came under cultivation as marshes, brambles, bogs, and heaths gave way to the plow” (Merriman p. 518). As a result of increasingly large crops, agricultural productivity increased. While the agricultural sector was experiencing its own revolution, eventually, more improvements were necessary in order to increase the production of goods and services.
New ideas were being thought up by inventors that would progress European society and result in a new way of life for both laborers and the wealthy. In order to improve efficiency and progression of society once again, the inventors design new methods to be able to transport raw materials for convenience and trade. Trains upon newly designed railroads, and steamboats were able to haul heavy materials for longer distances. Eventually these transportation methods were no longer solely reserved for raw materials. People were able to get around on trains.
While new modes of transportation were being introduced, the efficiency of some raw materials was being questioned. The narrator from movie 1. explains that timber was becoming a less efficient means for energy. This led inventors to take on a new scientific attitude to uncover a new raw material that could provide more energy at a low cost. The answer for a new and abundant raw material became coal. The narrator explains, “It became increasing more clear that coal was a much more potent form of power, providing up to 3 times more energy than wood” (Movie 1).
This revelation and the demand for coal would eventually lead to the invention of powerful steam engines that would be able to process the abundance of coal for fuel. The first machine was not efficient enough; this only inspired more inventors to come up with a solution for a more efficient machine. In sum, the industrial revolution spurred as the population grew and demand increased. Inventors were constantly coming up with new ways to make life for people more convenient and comfortable while gaining more opportunity for commerce.
It is for these reasons that the role of inventors and inventions play a pivotal role within the industrial revolution. Due to what appeared to be an abundance of raw materials and changing scientific attitudes, inventors were able to devise mechanisms that would continue to improve the quality of life of a good portion of the population while making a profit. Eventually, if efficiency had been improved upon and prices were lowered, the reaping of these inventions would be accessible to all people, even the poor. The poor wouldn’t get to enjoy many of the newly invented conveniences and amenities for some tir to come.
Video Discussion – They say every invention starts as an idea. However, it seems that ideas result from the materials. The materials inspire an idea within the mind of someone trying to improve a situation to meet a demand. These inventors and inventions are typically thought and created by people who question theories as the world and society around them evolves. What I’m getting at is that I don’t believe that there is one cause for the Industrial Revolution. After reviewing the resources presented, it seems that there is a sequence of events that leads to any revolution.
However, speaking with the Industrial Revolution in mind, the elements that appear to have contributed most to the Industrial Revolution are the increasing population, the raw materials, the role of inventors and inventions, and the changing of scientific attitudes. The revolution begins with the people and the demand for increased food production and the raw materials necessary for survival and comforts. Merriman writes, “Europe’s population grew from an estimated 187 million in 1800 to about 266 million in 1850, an increase of 43 percent” (Merriman p. 515).
With the population increasing by such a large margin, the demand for goods and services increased. As the demand increases, more raw materials such as coal for example, must be harvested to supply the production machines with the necessary energy to produce the goods and supply to population. Based on this logic and reasoning, it seems that the population growth is the starting point of the revolution. Population growth can be attributed to longer lifespans that were aided by new inventions such as certain vaccinations and increasing sanitary measures.
According to Merriman, “Sand filters and iron pipes helped make water more pure. Improvements in reservoirs, the first of which was built in 1806 increased the availability of clean water (Merriman p. 516). While I’m aware that infant mortality rates remained high within certain regions of Europe, I’ve pointed out the inventions for water sanitation to lead me into what | believe to be the next element that paved the way for the Industrial Revolution, that being the role of inventors and inventions and how they were impacted by the shift in scientific attitudes.
When deciding to invent something new, the inventor must take into consideration the need for the people. Overtime, basic needs became a little more complex. Health measures were not being met for some time and as a result, many people died from disease and famine. The production of food was not being met for the population and people were becoming ill without a remedy. When faced with a crisis, inventors must take a scientific approach to find a proper solution for wide spread issues throughout Europe. It seems most relevant to note the reason that scientific attitudes were able to develop and adapt within Britain.
The narrator from movie 1 claims, “In Britain, scientific didn’t suffer censorship by the church or state” (Movie 1). It can be argued that Britain was at the forefront of the industrial revolution due to this lack of censorship. New ideas could be discussed and implemented without being challenged by powerful authorities. Focusing on farming, in order to increase the production of food more land must be acquired and prepared for larger crops. The increasing amount of land would be hard to manage without the proper tools.
In comes the inventor with an idea to make more farming land out of hard to manage grounds. Merriman explains, “Capital-intensive production (larger-scale and marketorientated farming) underlay the agricultural revolution. More land gradually came under cultivation as marshes, brambles, bogs, and heaths gave way to the plow” (Merriman p. 518). As a result of increasingly large crops, agricultural productivity increased. While the agricultural sector was experiencing its own revolution, eventually, more improvements were necessary in order to increase the production of goods and services.
New ideas were being thought up by inventors that would progress European society and result in a new way of life for both laborers and the wealthy. In order to improve efficiency and progression of society once again, the inventors design new methods to be able to transport raw materials for convenience and trade. Trains upon newly designed railroads, and steamboats were able to haul heavy materials for longer distances. Eventually these transportation methods were no longer solely reserved for raw materials. People were able to get around on trains.
While new modes of transportation were being introduced, the efficiency of some raw materials was being questioned. The narrator from movie 1 explains that timber was becoming a less efficient means for energy. This led inventors to take on a new scientific attitude to uncover a new raw material that could provide more energy at a low cost. The answer for a new and abundant raw material became coal. The narrator explains, “It became increasing more clear that coal was a much more potent form of power, providing up to 3 times more energy than wood” (Movie 1).
This revelation and the demand for coal would eventually lead to the invention of powerful steam engines that would be able to process the abundance of coal for fuel. The first machine was not efficient enough; this only inspired more inventors to come up with a solution for a more efficient machine. In sum, the industrial revolution spurred as the population grew and demand increased. Inventors were constantly coming up with new ways to make life for people more convenient and comfortable while gaining more opportunity for commerce.
It is for these reasons that the role of inventors and inventions play a pivotal role within the industrial revolution. Due to what appeared to be an abundance of raw materials and changing scientific attitudes, inventors were able to devise mechanisms that would continue to improve the quality of life of a good portion of the population while making a profit. Eventually, if efficiency had been improved upon and prices were lowered, the reaping of these inventions would be accessible to all people, even the poor. The poor wouldn’t get to enjoy many of the newly invented conveniences and amenities for some time to come.
