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This argument has, on the whole, tended to neglect the fact that several inventors and entrepreneurs were rational free thinkers or "Philosophers" typical of a certain class of British intellectuals in the late 18th century, and were by no means normal church goers or members of religious sects. Examples of these free thinkers were the [[Lunar Society]] of [[Birmingham]] (which flourished from [[1765]] to [[1809]]). Its members were exceptional in that they were among the very few who were conscious that an industrial revolution was then taking place in Great Britain. They actively worked as a group to encourage it, not least by investing in it and conducting scientific experiments which led to innovative products.
The hypothesis that Protestantism caused the industrial revolution was further challenged by the British philosopher [[Bertrand Russell]]. He believed that a class of idle people enjoyed privileges that were based on [[social justice|social injustice]]. Workers worked so hard because they had to, not because it corresponded to their ethic. According to Russell, it would be much more beneficial to the progress of society if nobody were forced to work longer than four hours a day, because it would give everybody the time for scientific research.
There are many causes of the Industrial Revolution: the growth of population, overseas trade, capital and banking, science and technology, privilege and monopoly, the abundant supply of iron ore and coal, politically stable, slave trade, and the Agricultural Revolution.
From about 1100, the population of Europe rose, which is because there was recovery from the disorder in the early medieval times, and there was development in agriculture and trade. The population in Europe grew quickly from 1700 onwards, because there was scientific and technological improvement, growth of supply of food because of the improvement in agriculture, and the people in Europe became wealthy because of overseas trade. The number of deaths decreased and the number of births increased. As there were more people, they needed more goods. Machines were then invented to produce more goods to meet the needs of the people.
From 1430, people in Europe discovered sea routes to Asia and America. England made the greatest gain from overseas trade. The middle class in England became wealthy from the overseas trade. Their social position grew greatly. The manufacturers were ready to invest in the making of machines and setting up factories. The large overseas market also encouraged industrialists to produce more products quicker and of better quality, so they invested on the production of machines in England.
As the banking system developed, the banks lent money to the industrialists from the money of the merchants and manufacturers. The industrialists then used the money to for industrial development, which led to the Industrial Revolution.
The rapid growth of science and technology since the 17th century greatly helped in the rise of the Industrial Revolution. It was the reason for growth of population, the basis for the invention of machines and Agricultural Revolution.
In Britain, the influence of the merchants and manufacturers was considerable as there was privilege and monopoly. The abundant supply of coal and iron ore made the making of machines easier. Europe was also politically stable, so people didn’t worry about law and order, and set their minds into manufacturing. People earned a lot of money form slave trade, so there was capital for the industrialists.
Agricultural Revolution is also an important factor for Industrial Revolution. Crop rotation and Enclosure Movement increased the amount of food produced, and supplied a sufficient amount of food for the workers working in the cities. Selective breeding produced food with better quality. The Enclosure Movement also made poor farmers go to the town to work as they had no more land to farm on.
I think the most important cause among all the causes is science and technology. With science and technology, there were medical improvements, which made people live longer and thus helped in the growth of population. With the growth of population, there was a bigger market and thus manufacturers took the incentive to invent machines to earn more money. Science and technology was also a basis for the invention of machines. Without science and technology, machines simply couldn’t be made, and the Industrial Revolution couldn’t take place. Without science and technology, Agricultural Revolution couldn’t take place. There wouldn’t be machines to farm, and therefore there would be no cheap labour to work in the factories. Also, there wouldn’t be enough food as there would be no crop rotation.
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==Innovations==
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