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Industrious Revolution
The industrious revolution was particularly prominent during the late 17-century and early 18th century. It was a shift in Europe that occurred as families in Northwestern Europe began focusing on earning money instead of producing goods for survival. Economic-self sufficiency was reduced and the trend of European's buying consumer goods significantly. -
Period: to
18th-century Europe
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Jethro Tull creates the seed drill.
In 1701, Jethro Tull introduced the seed drill to Europe. The seed drill ensured the seeds were planted at exact intervals and econvered them with dirt, making farming and agriculture much more efficient. This innovation would help contribute to the Agricultural Revolution in Europe and helped see the abandonment of the two-field and three-field system of the 17th century. -
Enclosure Movement
The Enclosure Movement consisted of the reorganization of owner-less common lands into government-owned plots which could be more efficiently cultivated. This made the land much more valuable, but stripped the commoners of their property. As a result, agricultural output and economy boomed in the 18th century, but so did peasant resentment towards the nobility. -
The Last Bubonic Plague Outbreak
Following the outbreak of the Black Death in the 14th century, the plague would strike back periodically in epidemics. The last major epidemic of the bubonic plague hit Marseilles in 1720 and by 1722, it had passed and seemingly vanished from the European continent enitrely. The dissapearance of the bubonic plague contributed to a large decline in the mortality rate of Europe and allowed for the massive population boom that the continent would experience in the 18th century. -
The Flying Shuttle
In 1733, John Kay officially released the flying shuttle. The flying shuttle allowed a weaver to throw the shuttle back and forth between threads with one hand. This innovation would revolutionze the textile industry and make way for the industrialization of the textile industry in Europe. -
The Peak of the Slave Trade
In order to maximize profits from overseas colonies, many European colonial power began using slaves in the New World where they would be forced to work in plantations with sugar and tobacco. In 1750, these cash crops were at their highest demand, leading to the highest demand of slaves in European history. This displays continuity in the way social hierarchies were organizaed in Europe with slaves at the bottom of the totem pole and the continued exploitation of these sllaves. -
The Treaty of Paris (1763)
The Treaty of Paris ended the 7 Years' War in Europe (or the French and Indian Way" in the backgroud. France lost the war to Britain, forcing it give up its colonies to Britain or other foreign powers. This loss of colonies for France would significant hurt is economy due to the abumandant resources his family has and contribute to the French Revolution. -
Mercantilism and the Downfall of Guilds
Over the course of the 18th century, more mercantilist policies were enactedin Europe by colonial powers. In a mercantilist system, the state controls the industrial output of goods and the means of production. This led to the gradual decline of urban guilds (similar to work unions) as the limited economic freedome that these guilds enjoyed were stripped away due to the new emphasis on mercantilism. -
Wealth of Nations
In 1776, Adam Smith published his book most well known as the Nature and Causes of Wealth of Nations. In this book, Smith criticzes the mercantilist policies that dominated the previous 17th century and instead promotes capitlist and economic liberal philiosophies. -
Edict of Toleration
In 1782, Emperor Joseph II implemented the Edict of Toleration in the Habsburg Empire, granting non-Roman Christian Catholics the limited ability to practice their own religion. It also granted these minority groups more civil rights, including Jews. The Edict of Toleration shows the slow change in the state of religious tolerance in Europe, which had been further stimulated by the Enlightenment in which Joseph II was inspired by.