Industry, empire and political power, 1745-1901
Within a century Britain went from a mainly rural society to the world's first industrial economy, with an empire to match. The gains and the costs were not shared equally.
Lesson overview
What you'll learn in this lesson
Understand ideas, political power, industry and empire in Britain 1745-1901, including the Industrial Revolution and its impact on society
Key learning points
- • Why industry took off here
- • Living with the change
- • Pressure for political reform
- • Industry and empire together
This lesson at a glance
- 30 minutes
- 25 parts to scroll through
- 4 quick checks
- Marked quiz at the end
- Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses
Words to know
Scroll down — the lesson carries on below
Watch & discover
Part 1 of 25
Visual introductionPicture this
Industry, empire and political power, 1745-1901
Within a century Britain went from a mainly rural society to the world's first industrial economy, with an empire to match. The gains and the costs were not shared equally.
In a nutshell
Understand ideas, political power, industry and empire in Britain 1745-1901, including the Industrial Revolution and its impact on society
What you already know
Part 2 of 25
Before we start
What you already know
You should already know that Parliament's power grew after 1688.
Key words
Part 3 of 25
Key words
Words you'll need today
- Urbanisation
- The growth of towns and cities.
- Factory system
- Production concentrated in one site using powered machinery.
- Reform Act
- Legislation extending or redistributing the vote.
- Empire
- Territories ruled or controlled by another state.
Reset break
Part 4 of 25
Pause
That's sitting 1 of 6 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Learning cycle
Part 5 of 25
Learning cycle 1 of 2
Industrial change
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 6 of 25
Learn
Why industry took off here
Coal and iron were plentiful, canals and later railways moved goods cheaply, colonial trade supplied raw materials and markets, and available capital funded machinery. No single cause is sufficient. Steam power freed factories from riverside sites, which is why industrial towns grew where coal was, not where water flowed.
Explore the idea
Part 7 of 25
Learn
Living with the change
Cities grew faster than sanitation, producing overcrowding, cholera and short life expectancy. Factory work imposed clock discipline on people used to seasonal rhythms, and children worked long hours until legislation restricted it. Real wages eventually rose, which is why historians disagree about whether the early decades improved or worsened ordinary lives.
Reset break
Part 8 of 25
Pause
That's sitting 2 of 6 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Quick check
Part 9 of 25
Quick check
Part 10 of 25
Learning cycle
Part 11 of 25
Learning cycle 2 of 2
Power, protest and empire
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Reset break
Part 12 of 25
Pause
That's sitting 3 of 6 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Explore the idea
Part 13 of 25
Learn
Pressure for political reform
Industrial towns had almost no representation while tiny constituencies elected MPs. Protest, from Peterloo to Chartism, pressed for change. The Reform Acts of 1832, 1867 and 1884 widened the franchise in stages, but women remained excluded. Reform came gradually, usually when elites judged that refusing would be more dangerous than conceding.
Explore the idea
Part 14 of 25
Learn
Industry and empire together
Empire supplied cotton, sugar and tea, and provided protected markets for manufactured goods; naval power secured the routes. Imperial expansion was justified at the time by claims of civilising mission, claims which historians now examine critically alongside evidence of coercion, extraction and resistance in colonised societies.
Quick check
Part 15 of 25
Reset break
Part 16 of 25
Pause
That's sitting 4 of 6 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Quick check
Part 17 of 25
Common mix-ups
Part 18 of 25
Common mix-ups
Things people often get wrong
- People often name one cause of industrialisation. Resources, transport, capital and trade combined.
- People often assume reform came from goodwill. It usually followed sustained pressure and protest.
Challenge round
Part 19 of 25
Game · Sort it
Which of these are true?
Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.
True
Not true
Reset break
Part 20 of 25
Pause
That's sitting 5 of 6 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Challenge round
Part 21 of 25
Game · Fill the gaps
Finish the sentences
Choose the word that belongs in each gap.
Steam power freed factories from riverside sites, which is why ____ towns grew where coal was, not where water flowed.
____ supplied cotton, sugar and tea, and provided protected markets for manufactured goods; naval power secured the routes.
Challenge round
Part 22 of 25
Game · Recall cards
Steam power allowed factories to be built...
Card 1 of 4
Exit quiz
Part 23 of 25
Exit quiz
Show what you've learned
6 questions, marked together at the end. Nothing is timed.
1. Chartism campaigned for...
2. Clock discipline in factories replaced...
3. Historians disagree about industrialisation because evidence shows...
4. Railways mattered because they...
5. Peterloo in 1819 was...
6. Imperial 'civilising mission' claims are now treated as...
Mastery quiz
Part 24 of 25
Marked quiz
End of lesson quiz: Industry, empire and political power, 1745-1901
4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.
1. Steam power allowed factories to be built...
2. Rapid urban growth caused...
3. The Reform Acts of the nineteenth century...
4. Empire supported industry mainly by providing...
Lesson round-up
Part 25 of 25
Lesson round-up
Ready when you are
Quiz score
Not sat
Games
Not played
Points this lesson
0
Best run
0 in a row
Luna: 0 out of 4 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?
Ask LunaPart 1 of 25 · Watch & discover