11.1.1

Life in Britain 1750

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Life in Britain in 1750

A wave of new inventions in the latter half of the 1700s allowed Britain to begin producing cotton on a huge scale and export this abroad for hefty profits.

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Rural society

  • Around 1750, Britain was still a very rural, agricultural society.
  • Over 80% of the population lived in the countryside, mainly working on the land, rearing animals and growing crops.
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Cottage industry

  • If people did work in industry, these were cottage industries run from within their own home.
    • For example, people might knit or weave in their home, but they would only be able to produce a small amount, enough to earn a living.
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Transport

  • It took a long time to travel around the country.
  • There were no trains, so travelling over a long distance had to be done on horseback, or using a horse and cart.
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Urbanisation

  • But between around 1750 and 1840, Britain was transformed from a rural nation based around agriculture to an industrialised, urban nation which depended on factories and machines.
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The Industrial Revolution

  • Before the Industrial Revolution, all products had to be made by hand, which was time-consuming and could be exhausting.
  • But from around the mid-1750s, there was a wave of inventions which gradually made it possible for more and more work to be done by machines. This was much quicker and cheaper.

Jump to other topics

1Empires East & West: 1000 AD

1.1The Rise & Fall of Ancient China’s Empire

1.2The Medieval Greatness of the Byzantine Empire

1.3The Golden Age of the Islamic Empire

1.4The Politics & Power of the Holy Roman Empire

1.5Medieval Religion

1.6The Influence of the Church in Medieval Times

1.7How Religion Tested the Power of Kings

1.8Dynastic Challenges to Medieval Monarchs

1.9Challenges to Medieval Monarchs

1.10Revolts, Rebellions & Rights

1.11Medieval England & Her Neighbours

1.12European Renaissance

1.13Norman Conquest & Control

1.14Historical Skills

2The Medieval World: 450-1450 AD

2.1Anglo-Saxon England

2.2The Contest for the English Throne

2.3Conquering the Holy Land, 10-96-1396 AD

2.4King John

2.5The Magna Carta & Parliament

2.6The Black Death

3Worldviews

4The Empire of Mali: 1076-1670 AD

5The Renaissance & Reformations: 1500-1598 AD

6The British Empire: 1583-1960 AD

7The Peasants' Revolt: 1381 AD

8Religion in the Middle Ages

9Slavery: 1619-1833 AD

10The English Civil War: 1642-1660 AD

11The Industrial Revolution: 1750-1840 AD

12US Independence: 1775-1783 AD

13The French Revolution: 1789-1815 AD

14The British Empire: 1857–1930 AD

15Suffrage: 1840-1928 AD

16World War 1: 1914-1918 AD

17The Inter-War Years: 1919-1939 AD

18World War 2: 1939-1945 AD

19The Cold War: 1947-1962 AD

20Civil Rights in the USA: 1954-1975 AD

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