I am doing an essay about the industrial revolution and i was wondering if the enclosure scheme was a short term cause or a long term cause.
Can i have some help?
Industrial revolution ?
Previous post: industrial Revolution?
Next post: INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION?
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I would say that the enclosures were a long term reason for the Industrial Revolution as they put in place several key factors without which the revolution may not have happened in Britain. They ensured that the land owners became wealthy enough to invest in new ideas and technology; that there was a large unemployed rural workforce – this meant that there was no great upheaval in the countryside when the new factories were built; and that the large farms provided a ready market for some of the industrial goods produced.
See:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/agricultural_revolution_01.shtml