The industrial revolution began in England, the most developed and richest country in the world at that time, which also had efficient agriculture and natural resources providing energy. Already at the end of the 16th century, the energy crisis in England was growing due to the lack of wood and the beginning of the small ice age. To solve it, mass-mined hard coal was used. Significant resources of readily available coal, located near rivers enabling cheap transport, enabled the industrial revolution in the 18th century. New technological solutions and inventions were also sought. The first significant innovation was the modernization of the weaving workshop. In 1733, John Kay invented the weaving machine. Kay constructed a mechanism in which the string set the shuttle in motion, replacing its manual flipping. The high demand for yarn prompted English capitalists to look for other technical improvements in spinning as well.
However, the use of a water wheel was not possible everywhere, so the inventors sought other solutions. In 1763 James Watt modernized the Thomas Newcomen steam engine from 1712. Watt also built a mechanism by which the reciprocating movement of the pistons was converted into a rotational movement. In 1784, the first spinning factory was established, in which Watt steam engines were used. The demand for steam machines increased the importance of mining and metallurgy.
In 1785 Edmund Cartwright developed a mechanical loom that increased weaving efficiency by 40 times, then refined by John Horrocks in 1810. The introduction of spinning machines and mechanical weaving workshops led to the mechanization of the cotton industry.
Simultaneously with the textile industry, metallurgy developed.
The development in industry resulted in the development of transport and communication. The rapid development of metallurgy and mining as well as a significant increase in production was associated with the transport of more and more goods. That is why canals, bridges and roads were built. Horse land transport and sailing water transport did not meet the significant needs of transporting goods, which is why new transport modes were also invented.
In the social sphere, the main development of the Industrial Revolution was the transformation of living conditions in the industrial countries in relation to the other countries of the time, with a progressive change in the consumption needs of the population, as new goods were being produced. The Industrial Revolution profoundly altered the living conditions of the worker, initially causing an intense displacement of the rural population to the cities, creating huge urban concentrations. London's population went from 800,000 in 1780 to over 5 million in 1880, for example.
