Topic > Advances in Agriculture as Factors in the Emergence of the Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution is considered by some to be the most significant period in human history. This point can be well argued because before the revolution the world was static. The society was largely agrarian, with a large population of peasants working on farms. It had been this way for several years and there had been no major evolutionary breakthroughs in the progress of humanity in the bigger picture of things. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Every farmer would produce enough food to feed his family, and this is one of the main aspects that have changed during what some might call the 'industrial' evolution'. Despite the largely agrarian and feudal nature of society, Britain at the time had some industry and slowly incorporated different sources of power. The Industrial Revolution, a prelude to the Agricultural Revolution, changed much of the methods of industry, work, efficiency, city organization and even the general mentality, leading to further inventions and progress. Most of the world at the time was ruled by monarchs under strong pressure influence of the Catholic Church, leaving the rest of the population: farmers and artisans. That said, there was no development of art or music and most of the culture was limited to France. Farmers worked on their own and did not need to produce surpluses, which would have been difficult anyway because only manual labor was used at the time and the most common source of energy came from animals. The fields themselves were laid out differently with one grain grown on one strip of land on one large field. Peasants owned strips depending on their wealth. This system was messy as it often led to conflicts over whose land was better, where the borders were located, and regarding trespassing. Beyond that, it was inefficient and soon changed. The enclosure of the land was an important step in evolution as it served as the pairing that set the tone for what was to follow. Pre-industrial Britain had the foundations for industry. Many artisans worked in cities and guilds. These guilds were partnerships of the same trade who set prices and hedged each other. There was also small-scale industry where families produced goods from home. The entire family worked to produce bricks, iron products and, the most popular, cloth clothing. These were sold from home or in markets, as the actual "shops" we know today did not exist. In addition to the textile manufacturing industry, shipbuilding was the largest. Manual labor and animal power were used for small-scale agriculture and industry. Another important source of energy was water. It would have been used to turn wheels and grind corn. Wind power and steam engines were significant changes in power that came later in the evolution of British industry. This increased yield and efficiency. The event that can be considered the spark that started the revolution is the enclosure movement. This meant that people's land would be fenced or protected to determine its boundaries. The poor minority were expelled by the Acts of Parliament and many lost their land and livestock. The poor had the option of starving or moving to the city to find work. This led to a large population of farmers in the cities without work. While this has led to an increase in crime and begging,.