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Today, class, I am going to speak to you about the Industrial Revolution. The term "industrial revolution" refers to the technological, social, economic, and cultural changes that occurred in England in the late eighteenth century. This change eventually spread around the world, creating many big cities. (16) Before the Industrial Revolution, the production and harvesting of products was completed through manual labor. The Industrial Revolution replaced this manpower with machine power.
One of the first, and perhaps most important, developments of the Industrial Revolution was the steam engine. This advance in transportation allowed for the faster delivery of manufactured goods. However, the steam engine wasn't only used for transportation but instead for the construction of machine engines that made faster production possible. For example, before the Industrial Revolution, most tasks were done by either wind or water power or by the strength of man or horse. But, in 1698, a man by the name of Thomas Savery constructed the first steam-powered engine in London. (17) Thomas Savery, an engineer and inventor, patented a machine that could effectively draw water from flooded mines using steam pressure.
The development of the steam engine caused a host of other changes technologically, socially, and economically within British culture. Steam engine technology led to the development of factories, where products were turned out in the hundreds or even thousands. The factory industry eventually gave rise to what we now know as the modem city. (18) Manchester, for example, due to its cotton mills, became known as Cottonopolis because there were so many factories producing textiles. However, these early cities were not as clean or well kept as the ones we are familiar with today. Along with the growth of industry came the increase of sometimes hard or dirty living conditions. Children were forced to work long hours in factories until the Factory Act of 1833 came into effect, which stated that children under nine were not allowed to work and children over nine were not to work at night or for more than twelve-hour shifts. (19) Trade unions were also born out of the Industrial Revolution, giving workers rights and freedoms that they had not had in the past.
Before the Industrial Revolution, working conditions for British workers was not favorable. Men, women, and children worked long hours for little money. The poor conditions of the working class caused many educated British historians and authors to write manifestos expressing great sorrow for the working class. And even those that were not British, such as Friedrich Engels, a German political philosopher, used England as a model for change when he wrote The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844. Within this text, Engels spoke of the Industrial Revolution and how it was to change the whole fabric of society.
16. What changes did the Industrial Revolution bring about in agriculture?
17. What was the first steam-powered engine used for?
18. Why was Manchester also called Cottonopolis?
19. What was the function of trade unions in Britain at that time?
同學們，今天我要講的是工業革命。“工業革命”這個詞指的是18世紀末出現在英國的科技、社會、經濟和文化等領域的變革。這一變革最終蔓延到了世界各地，催生了很多大城市。工業革命前，生產和收獲完全是通過人力勞動完成的，而工業革命用機械動力取代了人力。
工業革命中第一批，或許也是最重要的發明之一是蒸汽機。在交通運輸上的這一進步使得生產出來的產品更快被送往各地。然而，蒸汽機并沒有只應用到了運輸業，它也被用到了在機器引擎制造中，從而加速了生產。比如，工業革命以前，大部分工作由風能、水能、人力或馬匹完成。但是，1698年，托馬斯·薩弗里制造出了倫敦第一個蒸汽發動機。托馬斯·薩弗里是一位工程師和發明家。他把這個可以利用蒸汽壓力高效率地從水井中抽水的機器注冊了專利。
蒸汽引擎的發明給英國文化的各個方面，包括科技、社會和經濟，帶來了很多其他的變化。蒸汽引擎技術導致了工廠的產生，工廠是批量生產商品的地方。而工業最終導致了我們現在所說的現代城市的產生。曼徹斯特棉花廠林立，是眾多紡織廠的所在地，故被稱為“棉都”。然而，這些城市早期并不像現在我們所熟悉的它們一樣清潔而有秩序。隨著工業的發展，出現了生存環境的惡化。直到1833年《工廠法》生效以前，兒童被迫在工廠中長時間工作。《工廠法》規定9歲以下兒童不允許在工廠中工作；9歲以上兒童不允許上夜班或輪班超過12個小時。工會也在工業革命期間誕生，給予了工人以往不曾有過的權利和自由。
工業革命以前，英國工人工作環境惡劣。男性、女性以及兒童長時間工作，報酬卻很少。工人階級所處的惡劣環境讓英國受過高等教育的歷史學家和作家們不禁寫文章抒發他們對工人階層的無比憐憫之情。甚至一些非英國人士，例如德國政治哲學家，弗里德里希·恩格斯在1844年創作《英國工人階級狀況》一書時將英國作為變革的模板。在書中，恩格斯闡述了工業革命以及它將如何改變整個社會。
16.工業革命給農業帶來了什么變化？
17.第一臺蒸汽發動機的用途是什么？
18.曼徹斯特為什么被稱為“棉都”？
19.工業革命時期英國工會的職能是什么？
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