★ Must-know
The first phase of the Industrial Revolution lasted from 1760 to 1840, and the second lasted from 1840 to 1914.
Britain was the first country to industrialise, beginning in the second half of the 18th century, before continental Europe and the United States.
Further detail
The Industrial Revolution was supported by:
Textiles made up over 50% of British exports by value in 1750 and over 60% in 1800.
★ Must-know
Cotton production was concentrated in Manchester and Glasgow, while wool production was concentrated in Yorkshire, the East Midlands and south-east Scotland.
Steel production developed near iron and coal deposits in:
Further detail
Newcastle-upon-Tyne developed:
London combined small factories producing clothing, luxury goods and printed goods with a major trading and financial role.
★ Must-know
The UK population rose by 25% from 1750 to 1801, a rate of increase 50% greater than that of European countries.
The urban population became the majority around 1845; in 1801 one-third of the population lived in towns and cities, rising to one-half in 1851.
Further detail
In 1801, the population was:
The UK population doubled from about 8 million to 17 million in the first half of the 19th century, while Ireland's population tripled and reached 8 million by 1840 before the Great Famine.
London had 1 million inhabitants in 1801, one-third of the urban population, and was the only city with more than 100,000 inhabitants.
The countryside gives way to the towns: the rural-to-urban shift marks the central change.
★ Must-know
In 1900, the UK produced 24% of the world's goods and accounted for 25% of world trade, while its fleet represented one-third of the world's ships.
The Bessemer process (1856) and Siemens-Martin open-hearth process (1864) made steel production cheaper.
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In 1900, the UK produced:
The expanded railway network reduced freight costs and goods prices, shortened distances and helped create a national market.
Electricity use grew from the 1880s, while the first power plants were established in 1881.
★ Must-know
Further detail
In 1913, 58% of the world's ships were built in the UK.
The UK chemical industry focused on soap, detergents, dyes and fertilisers, with soap production at Warrington and Port Sunlight and chemical production around Cheshire and Teesside.
Dunlop designed pneumatic tyres for bicycles and later motor cars in 1888, and John Reynolds founded the Reynolds Tube Company in 1898.
The telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876, and communications networks supported business transactions in Britain and internationally.
★ Must-know
By 1901, 80% of England and Wales's population was urban, and 74 towns had more than 50,000 people.
The upper class represented 5% of the population, the middle class 15% and the lower class 80%, and British society remained highly hierarchical.
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London's population increased from 2.3 million in 1851 to 4.5 million in 1911, and one-fifth of English people lived there.
Child mortality was:
Prosperity for upper classes contrasted with persistent hardship for most workers.
★ Must-know
British coal production fell from 287 million tonnes in 1913 to 227 million tonnes in 1937.
In 1932, 2.7 million British workers were unemployed, equal to about one worker in five, and unemployment never fell below one million during the interwar years.
Further detail
Employment in electric and electronic industries rose from 145,000 in 1923 to 340,000 in 1938, while automotive and aviation employment rose from 200,000 to 400,000.
British national income grew by 2.1% per year from 1920 to 1938, while productivity per worker increased by one-third between 1924 and 1935.
Between 1921 and 1937, population rose by 18% in London and 11% in the Midlands, while Northumberland-Durham lost 1% and South Wales lost 9%.
Old northern industries decline while new industries and southern regions gain ground.
★ Must-know
The Labour Party won a large majority in July 1945 and governed until 1951 under Prime Minister Clement Attlee.
The Labour government nationalised:
Further detail
Rationing continued for:
The National Insurance Act 1946 established provisions for maternity, unemployment and pensions, and the National Health Service Act 1946 created the NHS.
★ Must-know
Between 1960 and 1998, the UK lost 5 million manufacturing jobs, and fewer than 18% of the workforce worked in industry in 1998.
Between 1960 and 1974, British productivity increased by 30%, compared with 90% in Germany and a doubling in France.
Deindustrialisation was driven by:
Further detail
The UK lost 90% of textile-industry employees between 1979 and 2013, and shipbuilding's share of world new ships fell from half in 1930 to 4%.
The 1973–74 oil shock quadrupled the price of Middle Eastern oil, encouraging North Sea oil and gas exploitation while intensifying inflation.
Foreign competition, old infrastructure and weak investment → factory and regional decline.
★ Must-know
Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister in 1979 and served until 1990; John Major succeeded her and served until 1997.
Thatcher favoured meritocracy, neoliberalism, banking deregulation and privatisation, and opposed direct state intervention in business.
The 1984–85 miners' strike followed the announced closure of 20 pits and the loss of 20,000 jobs; the miners lost the strike and the industry was privatised in 1994.
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The government reduced civil-service staffing and delegated administrative tasks to more autonomous executive agencies while retaining control of justice, policing, foreign affairs, taxation and planning.
In 1980, local authorities were required to sell rental housing, and one-third of social housing was put on the market for tenants to buy.
Less state intervention in business, but continued state control of core public functions.
★ Must-know
Further detail
★ Must-know
The UK economy is worth about £2.8 trillion annually, making it the world's sixth-largest economy and Europe's second-largest behind Germany.
Services account for about 80% of the UK economy, manufacturing, construction and energy for around 18%, and agriculture for less than 1%.
Further detail
★ Must-know
Further detail
Healthy life expectancy at birth was:
The ten local areas with the highest male life expectancy were all in the South, while the lowest were in the North, Scotland and Wales.
Since 2008, inequality between rich and poor has increased in the UK, according to Danny Dorling.
Southern areas generally have higher life expectancy than northern areas.
| Region | Life expectancy |
|---|---|
| Manchester, men | 72 years |
| Manchester, women | 78 years |
| Dorset, men | 83 years |
| Dorset, women | 84 years |
| Sector | 2001 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Services | 75% | 81% |
| Manufacturing | 23% | 18% |
| Primary | 1% | 1% |
Take a 29-question practice quiz on UK Economic and Industrial Geography, with every answer explained.
1. The two phases of the Industrial Revolution are dated as follows:
2. Regarding the beginnings of industrialisation:
Memorize the key concepts of UK Economic and Industrial Geography with 90 flashcards.
What economic transition defines industrialisation?
The transition from an agrarian and handicraft economy to one dominated by industry and machine manufacturing.
When did the first phase of the Industrial Revolution last?
From 1760 to 1840.
When did the second phase of the Industrial Revolution last?
From 1840 to 1914.
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