- The French Revolution- A turning point in European Politics
- The Industrial Revolution- Transformed Britain and the world with the new idea of the factory and mass production.
In 1698 Scotland attempts to set up a colony in central America but turned out to be a disaster. The place was called Darien and was a 'malorial swamp' and Scotland lost 1/5 of its wealth. This financially and psychologically knackered Scotland and surrendered sovereignty in the Act of Union with England.
England/ the UK did very well out of the French Revolution although the Napoleonic War was very expensive and so income tax was created in 1799 in order to pay for war effort.
British Naval power was absolute and the blockades of the French Ports destroyed French trade and created a boom for British exports. Britain started building its empire: India, Singapore, South Africa and Sri Lanka.
The Transatlantic Triangular Trade was enormously profitable for Britain. In the 16th Century one million slaves were transported from Africa to America in exchange for cotton and by the 17th Century this numbered had increased to 7 million slaves being transported to America.
The end of the war meant that there was widespread unemployment and a fall in wages. In response to this The Corn Laws were created in 1815-1846. These laws meant that a tariff was put on imported grains. This tax that was on all food in the UK to protect farming in the UK. However, no one could afford the produce.
The Industrial Revolution caused Manchester to be considered the centre of the world because the city was the centre of this revolution. It was 'hell on Earth' with immense pollution and people lived in slums. Cholera was very common.
Politics- Pressure began to build for reform which saw the beginning of Socialist Movement' in the UK called 'Peterloo Massacre' in 1819 in Manchester. Cavalry charged a crowd of 60,000 demanding parliamentary reform-11 people died. Protesters demanded that growing cities should have the right to elect a MP. This meant that the Reform Act was to be more democratic and expand those who are eligible to vote.
Farming- There was nothing to stop people from choosing to transfer from a non-industrial work force to and industrial one. Thousands of farm workers came to the city to look for work since they had given up on the country. After 1770 these figure began to double every 50 years.
Utilitarianism is the belief that happiness is pleasure and pain should be absent from life. This favours those who promote the happiness and reduce pain. Workhouses were therefore started based on the Utilitarian beliefs of Jeremy Bentham and the New Poor Law Act was created in 1834. No able bodied person was to receive money or any help except from within a workhouse. This Act effectively criminalised the poor since people were given just enough food to survive yet an amount so small which would slowly kill them. In return for this food they would have to do horrible jobs. Therefore, Bentham wanted to help the poor in such a bad way that they wouldn't want to do it.
