Compare and contrast the first and second British industrial revolutions.(HI 364)

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 Industrial revolution was the process which involved a transformation from hand, simple, manual and slower productive machinery to complex, quick, efficient and mechanical power in the production of goods and services[1]. The industrial revolution was not a sudden events, it was a continuation of early changes which involves the transition from simple, manual and slower productive to new manufacturing process in the period from about 1700s to the present. The origin of industrial revolutions in England are complex and varied like that of French industrial revolution, the period of industrialization is still a subject of a vast historical debate, some historians addressed it as a complete shift in the process of economic growth but there were other historians prefer later date of 1760 because many inventions such steam engine by James Watt,  ….. appeared during that time. Therefore the industrial revolution in England passed through four phases, these phases includes the first industrial revolution which took place between the periods (1750-1840), the second industrial revolution which took place between the periods of (1840-1895), the third phase of (1870-194) and the last one was took place during inter wars period of (1914-1950s). Therefore the England industrial revolutions were mainly categorized into two major categories as the following;

The first industrial revolution of (1750-1840), this was the first phase of industrial revolution in England  which began in the period of 1750s following the work of James Watt and his steam engine. The first industrial revolution of 1750s-1840 mainly based on textile factory which was simple, cheap and individual families usually farms, wives and daughters would master one part of the process of spinning, dyeing, weaving and so forth[2]. In 1700’s Thomas Newcomen created an engine that used steam to push a piston up and down and pump water. Later in the early 18th century James Watt improved Newcomen’s engine and became more efficient and added a rotating action that could power machines and became used in the factories.

The second industrial revolutions (1840-1895), also known as technological revolutions, it was a phase of large industrial revolutions that was based on the capital goods industries, on coal, iron and steel which begun in the late half of the 19th century and the beginning of 20th until the First World War 1914-1918. It was considered to have begun with Bessemer steel in the 1860’s and culminated in the mass production and the production lines. There were two converging reasons for this; the rapidly growing industrial revolution in the rest of the world which provided rapidly increasing market for the kind of capital goods which could not be imported in any quantity except from the workshop of the world and which could not yet produced in sufficient quantity at home and the second reason was the growth of demand which lead increasingly vast accumulations of capital for profitable investment on construction of railways (Hobsbawm 1968) . The second industrial revolution saw grow rapidly in Western Europe such as Britain herself, Germany, France as well as USA and Japan.

 Despite of its different periods of revolutions, the first British industrial revolution of 1750-1895 and the second British industrial revolution of 1840-1895 had similarities and differences. These similarities and differences are the following as well as by starting with the similarities between the first and the second British industrial revolution;

Both the first British industrial revolution of 1750-1840 and the second British industrial revolution of 1840-1895 had brought different impacts to the British societies; these industrial revolutions changed the British societies from believed on the tradition way of life such as agricultural system into industrial society, industries seen a source of employment, capital and wages to those who working on industries especially lower class. The class of Aristocracy and middle class were thus very little affected by industrialization, except they affected for the better, their rents swelled with the demand for farm produce, the expansion of cities (who is soil they owned) and of mines, forges and railways (which were situated on their estates), their social predominance and their political power in a country side were remain untouched. Also on the side of common people, industrial revolutions affected them negatively compared to the class of aristocracy and middle class. Labourers no longer needed as a result of unemployment increased, life became very difficult especially during the first phase of industrialization, thus why some kind of workers whose condition did not change fundamentally as yet again miners and seamen come to mind the old traditions could still suffice, sailors multiplied their song about the new experiences of the 19th century such as whaling off Greenland but they were traditional folksong. Also there were groups had been accepted industry, science and progress but no capitalism, these were artisans, the man of skill, expertise, independence and education who saw no great distinction between themselves and those of similar social standing who chose to become entrepreneurs or to remain yeoman farmers or shopkeepers (Habsbawm 1968:).

Both the first and the second British industrial revolutions involved the use of machines instead of hand tools; machines were used to make various products in each instance that became to replace the use of human labour, some of the invented machines from the first phase of industrial revolution were includes spinning jenny, which was discovered by James Hargreaves in 1764 that was used in the industries of weaving, water frame, spinning mule cotton gin and James Watt discovered steam engine which used in textile industries, while in second industrial revolution different and sophisticated machines were discovered, these machines were automobiles, chemicals, railways, telegraph, telephone and radio.

Both the first and the second British industrial revolutions depended on land, labour and capital; land appear self as the essential medium per agricultural output, but it also include minerals and source of power by the means of water resources. Also labour is straight forward since workers were necessary and they can be less or more skilled. Capital on the other hand has a dual fundamental meaning either as a fund to finance different productive activities or capital assets which include buildings to   house machines and mines.

On the other hand, the first industrial revolution of 1750-1840 and the second industrial revolution of 1840-1895 had number of differences as follows;

Early industrial Britain was experienced by the problem of working class movement such as Luddism, Chartism and other crisis which reached its stage of greatest acuteness in the 1830s and early 1840s compared to the second industrial revolution of 1840-1895; the most obvious evidence for this crisis is the high wind of social discontent which blew across Britain in successive gusts between the last years of the wars and the middle 1840s Luddite and Radical trade unionist, utopian socialist, Democratic and chartist (Hasbbawm 1968:55). During second industrial revolution most of workers problems become solved, working condition improved, one third of chartist six demand were attained such as common people were allowed to vote and to be voted to be the member of parliament, property qualification also abolished and annual election was held as result of political, social and economic development in Britain.

Forms of industries that developed; the first British industrial revolution was based on textile industries which were characterized by small, owned by families, simple, cheap and easy to finance because it was not application of scientific theory, research but it was a result of trial and error, no body invested in scientific research and no one associated with scientific theory and research. It was required little scientific knowledge or technical skill beyond the scope of a practical mechanical of the early 18th century. Also the first industrial revolution was technical rather primitive not because no better science and technology available, it was simple because by and large, the application of simple ideas and devices, often of ideas available for centuries,  no means of expensive, could produce striking results. The first industrial revolution its products were woollen materials example clothes were produced from cottage industries in Birmingham city, and Yorkshire. First was vested on wool and woollen materials and also the rate of industries were growing slowly and most of them were located in rural areas. While the second industrial revolution was based on capital goods industries on coal, iron and steel and this stage was vested with the development of modern technologies in production, this situation was fostered by two main reasons,  the rapidly growing industrial revolution in the rest of the world which provided rapidly increasing market for the kind of capital goods which could not be imported in any quantity except from the workshop of the world and which could not yet produced in sufficient quantity at home and the second reason was the growth of demand which lead increasingly vast accumulations of capital for profitable investment on construction of railways (Hobsbawm 1968). Example of sophisticated technology were…..

The level of production and development of both first and second industrial revolutions; production and development of production in the first phase of industrial revolution of 1750-1840 was very small and slow compared the second industrial revolution of 1840-18975. The productions in the first industrial period were mostly for immediately consumption within the country side of Britain and very little production produced were such as woollen products exported outside Britain. While the level of production during the second phase of industrial revolution were increased a lot due to rapidly industrial revolution on the rest of the world such as in Germany, USA and japan which brought competition on the world market. Also the rate of export British products increased for instance in 1840-1842 they formed about 11% of the value of our exports manufactures, by 1857-1879 22% and by 1882-1884 27%. Between the period of 1840-1842 and 1857-1859 coal exports rose from less three quarters of a million pounds to over three million, iron and steel export from about three million to well over thirteen million, while those of cotton rose more slowly, though even the almost doubled. By 1873 they stood respectively at pound 13.2 million, pound 37.4 million and pound 77.4 million (Hobsbawm)