11.1.4

The Factory System

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The Factory System

The invention of new and efficient machines led to factories springing up across Britain, in which thousands of workers would produce cotton to be exported. The hours were long and the work was gruelling.

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Cromford Mill

  • After inventing the water frame, Arkwright realised that he could employ lots of people to oversee the machines, and produce cotton on a much larger scale.
  • In 1775 he opened Cromford Mill; it was five storeys high and he filled it with his water frames, and employed eight hundred people to work the machines.
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Spread of factories

  • This was the beginning of the factory system in Britain.
  • Inspired by Arkwright’s factory, other entrepreneurs began to set up factories across the country.
  • These factories were several storeys high, filled from top to bottom with machines powered by hundreds or thousands of workers.
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Losers

  • Nine hundred cotton mills had sprung up in Britain by 1800.
  • This was a disaster for families who lived in rural areas and produced cotton in their home using handlooms.
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Cotton trade

  • However, it was a triumph for the British economy.
  • Britain was producing good, cheap cotton which began to be exported across the world.
  • By the 1820s, cotton made up 62% of the goods Britain exported to other countries, and Britain dominated the cotton trade.

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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