🏭 The Industrial Revolution

What Was Life Like Before?

Before big machines, most people lived in the countryside. 🌾

• Families farmed by hand
• Clothes were made at home
• Travel was slow, by horse or walking

People worked long hours, but they stayed near family and neighbors. Towns were small, and nights were dark and quiet.

Key idea: Life was mostly rural and slow-paced.

Work Before Factories

Most work happened at home or in tiny workshops.

• Spinning thread with a hand wheel
• Weaving cloth on a wooden loom
• Making tools with simple hammers and fire

This was called the cottage industry.

Problem: It was slow, and people couldn’t make enough goods for growing cities.

Why Change Was Needed

In the 1700s, several things started to change:

• Populations grew 👶
• More people wanted clothes and tools
• Countries wanted to trade and get rich

But hand work could not keep up.

Result: People began looking for faster and cheaper ways to produce goods.

Where It All Started

The Industrial Revolution began in Britain around 1750.

Britain had:

• Many rivers for water power
• Lots of coal and iron
• Strong trade with other lands

These things made it easier to test new machines and build factories.