Before 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 owned and managed by one or more people who were generally close to the workers. There was a good worker/boss relationship that was destroyed by capitalism. This industry was efficient but the longer it took one person to manufacture a product the higher the price. Goods were high in price and limited only to the wealthy people.
In the year 1733 the demand for cotton cloth was high but production was low. This crisis had to be solved or England's economy would collapse. The answer came from a British weaver, John Kay, who invented the flying shuttle this invention cut weaving time in half. John Kay's invention paved the way for numerous inventors. At first many workers didn't accept machines and many inventions were destroyed.
By the 1750's the industrial Revolution had begun. People's lives was drastically changed during the industrial revolution. People were living in germ infested, crowded and very unhealthful conditions, much like their work place. Children and women worked in harsh conditions. People were working long hours for little pay. Eventually the British Parliament stepped in and limited and controlled child labor. This sparked a rebellion. The wealthy capitalists wanted the government to stay out of its issues called the laissez-faire system. But many people opposed the laissez-faire system saying the capitalists would gain too much power and people would be mistreated. The laissez-faire system was disregarded after a few years. .
Inventions during this time were strictly limited to cotton weaving. Inventions like the spinning jenny and the water-powered frame provided ways of spinning yarn faster. The spinning mule, the power loom and the cotton gin, all helped the manufacture of cotton goods by speeding up the process also.
