Arkwright, Bessemer and Trade
A global power1714 to 1901
The Industrial Revolution was Britain's rapid development of industry, and Britain became the first country to industrialise on this scale. Sake Dean Mahomet and his wife left their own mark on British life by introducing shampooing to Britain, the Indian art of head massage, new to Britain. Richard Arkwright became known for improving the carding machine, part of the textile work that made him a defining figure of the age.
Steel making changed just as sharply. The Bessemer process made possible the mass production of steel, which fed Britain's shipbuilding trade and its fast-growing railways. None of this came without cost to the people who did the work: working conditions during the period were very poor, with no laws protecting employees, who were often forced into long hours in dangerous conditions.
Trade abroad grew on the same scale as industry at home. The East India Company, first set up to trade, ended up gaining control of large parts of India, a reach far beyond anything its founders had intended.
What to remember
| Richard Arkwright | improving the carding machine, and the efficient and profitable way he ran his factories Carding prepares fibres for spinning; this was part of his wider textile work. |
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| Sake Dean Mahomet | introducing shampooing to Britain He and his wife brought this Indian head-massage practice to Britain. |
| The Bessemer process | the mass production of steel It fed the shipbuilding industry and the railways. |
| Working conditions during the Industrial Revolution | being very poor, with no laws to protect employees, who were often forced to work long hours in dangerous conditions Children worked too, and were treated the same as adults, sometimes more harshly. |
| The East India Company | gaining control of large parts of India, despite originally being set up to trade Britain gained control over Canada in the same period. |
| The rapid development of industry in Britain in the 18th and 19th centuries | the Industrial Revolution Britain was the first country to industrialise on a large scale. |
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