perform a task such as putting a bolt in or assembling a piece. Then, the item would go on its way by means of the belt to the next worker, who would perform the next task. The assembly line worked, and actually made things such as automobiles, previously too expensive for the average family, to now be affordable.England’s Economy Before the RevolutionBefore the first industrial revolution, England's economy was based on its cottage industry. Workers would buy raw materials from merchants, take it back to their cottages, and produce the goods at their home. It was usually was owned and managed by one or more people, who were close to the workers. There was a good worker/boss relationship, which was destroyed by capitalism1. The longer it took one person to manufacture a product, the higher the price. Since it took time to make the goods, the prices were extremely high, and only the wealthy could afford them.The First Industrial RevolutionBy the 1750's, the first Industrial Revolution had begun. At first, inventions were limited mainly to cotton weaving. The spinning jenny, the water-powered frame, (both of which provided spinning yarn faster) the spinning mule, the power loom and the cotton gin, all helped to speed up the process of manufacturing goods. Since this was around the time when capitalism1 began, the capitalists who had their own materials, money and space, bought machines, put them in a factory, and hired people to work for the whole day.The factory system had replaced the cottage industry. Mass production made usually expensive items, such as shoes, less expensive and easily affordable by lower class and less wealthy people. The quality of life had improved. The inventions in the 1800’s didn’t just deal with the cotton industry. Steam engines were used to transport people instead of horses and carriages. The first industrial revolution had changed England, and later the world. They were now r...
