ECON 40970
Economic History of Modern Europe
John Lovett
Study Questions for our Scientific and Industrial Revolution Reading
Readings: Merriman. Chapter 16: “The Industrial Revolution, 1800-1850”
1.
Rank the following regarding how proximately (i.e. directly, immediately) the led to modernity. #
1 should be the most proximate or immediate cause. # 2 the 2nd most immediate cause, etc. Note:
although we had a definite ranking in class, I’m cool if you switch the # 2 and # 3 we had in class.
The # 1, however, is pretty definitive.
_____ the Agricultural Revolution
_____the Industrial Revolution
_____the Scientific Revolution
2.
Label each of the following modes of thought as either Medieval or Modern. The first two have
been done for you.
Dude! I own two pairs of wool pants and wash each on twice a month whether they . Medieval . need it not! I’m doing pretty well. I own several pairs of pants, shirts, etc. I wash them regularly. I also wear … get this . Modern . … cotton underwear! Heck, I put on a clean pair of underwear nearly every day! __________ The world works mysterious & often unpredictable ways. Sometimes we understand the how the rules work, but we seldom understand why the rules work.
__________ If one has a question about how or why the world works a certain way, one should investigate the matter physically. If one has a question about how or why the world works a certain way, one should ask the current intellectual authorities or see what past authorities have written. Artisans, craftsman, and industrialists are not true intellectuals. True intellectuals __________ should investigate higher matters rather than get caught up in the details of how common people actually make things. The world works in ways that are rational, predictable, and potentially __________ understandable. __________ If one has a question about how or why the world works a certain way, one should conduct controlled experiments that can be repeated by others. If one has a question about how or why the world works a certain way, one should __________ start with a widely accepted higher principle. From this, one should then deduce how the particular matter in question works. Thinkers should get their share their work with those in industry, and learn from __________ those in industry. __________ __________ In addition to understanding how the world works, thinkers should also concern themselves with applying their knowledge to improve the daily lives of people. 1
ECON 40970
Economic History of Modern Europe
John Lovett
3 – 11. Matching. Match each thinker with their contribution to scientific understanding.
Thinker
Contribution
3. ____ Isaac Newton
a. A sun-centered universe (solar system) fits the real world observations a
lot better than an earth-centered universe.
4. ____ Antoine
Lavoisier
b. Experimentally determines that blood circulates through the body
actively pumped by the heart. This is contrast with the ancient
(Galen’s) view of how fluids in the body, and human health, work.
5. ____ Adam Smith
6. ____ Nikolaus
Kopernikus
7. ____ Galileo Galilei
c. Based on evidence gained by looking at the real world through a
telescope, the sun-centered universe fits a lot better than the earthcentered one.
d. Based on experimental evidence, the Great Aristotle was wrong about
gravity. (In a vacuum or on a ramp) heavy bodies and light objects fall
just as fast. (Intuition: Gravity is pulling on a 5 kg ball 5x as much as
on a 1 kg ball. The 5 kg ball, however, takes 5x the force to move it).
They also accelerate at a constant rate.
e. Promotes the sharing of research between scientists and craftsman
(industrialists).
8. ____ Galileo Galilei, a
f. Developed three laws of motion. Maybe the entire universe is subject
2nd contribution
to relatively simple laws we can learn and understand. Newton also
investigates the nature of light, (co)invents calculus, etc.
9. ____ Britain’s Royal
g. Based on controlled experiments, the ancients were very wrong about
Society
the nature of matter (air, water, earth, and fire/phlogiston). The world,
including air, is composed of many elements such as oxygen. World, I
give you the beginnings of Modern Chemistry!
10. ____ Charles Darwin 11. ____ William Harvey
h. Myself and many other Enlightenment thinkers are formulating ideas
about how society and the economy works.
i.
Evolution. Maybe even life itself, including all the life-forms of today,
is the product of understandable principles rather than divine magic. 12. ______ If one defines the start of the Industrial Revolution as; “The time when fossil fuels first
began to be used for multiple industrial processes”, roughly when did the Industrial Revolution
start?
a. 1688
c. 1765
e. 1836
b. 1712
d. 1801
f. 1856
13. _____ If one defines the start of the Industrial Revolution as; “The time when factories came into
being, i.e. mass production using machines and all under one roof, ”, roughly when did the
Industrial Revolution start?
a. 1688
c. 1765
e. 1836
b. 1712
d. 1801
f. 1856
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ECON 40970
Economic History of Modern Europe
John Lovett
14. In what two industries, and what two processes, did fossil fuels first (1709 and 1712) come to be
used on a large scale?
Industry (what’s being made)
Process
15. Draw a graph to indicate what happened to Output per capita and Population in Western Europe as
the industrial revolution progressed? The first point is already on the graph. Indicate which the
direction (up & left, straight right, straight down, etc.) the points will go after (about) 1760.
Income
capita
1760
Population
16. _____ How might the Industrial Revolution have contributed to the class struggles of the late
1700’s and the 1800’s?
a. Blah, blah, blah.
b. Yakkity, yakkity, yak.
c. Yaddi, yaddi yah.
d. Bibbidy-Bobbidy-Boo.
17. _____ (From lecture) What was the British Reform Bill of 1832?
a. Blah, blah, blah.
b. Yakkity, yakkity, yak.
c. Yaddi, yaddi yah.
d. Bibbidy-Bobbidy-Boo.
18. ____________________ In what industry did factory production first become common?
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ECON 40970
Economic History of Modern Europe
John Lovett
19. _________________________ Where (city and country) did factory production first become
common?
20. Rank the following in the order they occurred (1st to 11th). Would I put this exact question on an
exam? No. You don’t have to know every date and detail about the order in which innovations
occurred. Still, it’s good to have a rough idea of the order in which things occurred.
_____ Many inventions are made to spin and later weave thread using automated machines. The
world’s first factories arise. These factories produce textiles with a
productivity several orders of magnitude (ex. 1000 x) that of textile production by hand.
_____ Two new processes to mass produce steel cheaply are invented.
_____ The generation and use of electricity becomes practical.
_____ Thomas Newcomen invents the 1st practical steam engine (“atmospheric engine”
used to pump water out of mines).
_____ James Watt improves Newcommen’s steam engine. Steam engines are now
efficient enough to be practical for many applications.
_____ The practical steam turbine (gasoline and diesel) is invented.
_____ Practical internal combustion engines (gasoline and diesel) and automobiles are
invented.
_____ Steampowered ships are introduced for both river transport and ocean transport.
_____ The first major steam-powered railway opens.
_____ Ships made of iron (later steel) and powered with a screw propeller are used.
_____ Abraham Darby uses (coked, i.e. cooked) coal to make iron
… and … This one is very hard to assign a specific date or order to … but I’ll list it anyway.
From about 1825 to 1900: Lots of industrial chemical processes are discovered and come
into use. Examples include the making of soda ash for soap and other products, fertilizer, and
dyes (for fabrics).
21. _____ What does “Luddite” mean? Hint: Check out page 695 of the reading.
a. Blah
b. Blah
c. Blah
d. Blah
22. _____ Where does the word “Luddite” come from? What is the origin of the word “Luddite”?
Hint: Check out page 695 of the reading.
a. Blah
b. Blah
c. Blah
d. Blah
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ECON 40970
Economic History of Modern Europe
John Lovett
23. _____ How common was female labor in European factories in the early 1800’s? Hint: Check
out page 696 of the reading.
a. With the exception of the iron and steel industries, and ship building, almost all ( 90% +) of
the factory workers were female until about 1870. After 1870 the use of female labor in
factories declined markedly.
b. With the exception of the iron and steel industries, and ship building, roughly 1/3 to just over
½ of factory workers were female. These female workers were typically young, unmarried
women. They were housed in “Sorority houses”.
c. With the exception of the iron and steel industries, and ship building, roughly 1/3 to just over
½ of factory workers were female. These female workers were of all ages.
24. _______________ Which country was the first European country to implement a government
funded program of “poor relief”?
25. _____ What were the “Combination Acts”? Hint: Check out page 706 of the reading.
a. Blah
b. Blah
c. Blah
d. Blah
26. _____ What was suggested, in lecture, as an explanation for # 27 above?
a. Blah
b. Blah
c. Blah
d. Blah
27.
_____ What social changes did Henri de Saint-Simon advocate?
a. A class struggle in which the lower classes destroy the society made by the current upper
classes. Private property should be eliminated.
b. Keeping the lower classes firmly in their place. Deny them any public (i.e. government)
assistance. Don’t be afraid to use force when the lower classes threaten revolt.
c. Do away with the old inherited and feudal aristocracy. Give more power to the working (or
“industrial”) classes … but don’t start a class war. Pass laws to improve working condition
and use government to guarantee better lives for workers.
28.
____________________ What name does Merriman (and others) assign to thinkers such as Henri
de Saint Simon?
29. _____ What social changes did Pierre-Joseph Proudhon advocate?
a. A class struggle in which the lower classes destroy the society made by the current upper
classes. Private property should be eliminated.
b. Keeping the lower classes firmly in their place. Deny them any public (i.e. government)
assistance. Don’t be afraid to use force when the lower classes threaten revolt.
c. Do away with the old inherited and feudal aristocracy. Give more power to the working (or
“industrial”) classes … but don’t start a class war. Pass laws to improve working condition
and use government to guarantee better lives for workers.
30. _____ Which workers does the reading describe as “more militant” than the other group?
a. British workers
b. French and German workers
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ECON 40970
Economic History of Modern Europe
John Lovett
31. _____ Which society was, in lecture, described as more inclined to adopt socialist/communist
thinking than the other group?
a. European workers
b. American (U.S.A) workers
32. _____ and _____ Which two regions below were the first to industrialize (i.e. have factories and
heavy industry?)
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