FORM 2 HISTORY -,-

The factory system was a new way of organizing labor made necessary by the development of machines which were too large to house in a worker's cottage. Furthermore, the efficient use of the new machines required that many of them be installed together where they could all be driven by the
same power source.

Therefore, workers' homes became separately located from their place of work. All brought together under one roof, it was considerably easier for the factory owner to supervise and closely regulate their workers.

The Factory system was a method of manufacturing first adopted in England at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and later spreading abroad. Fundamentally, each worker created a separate part of the total assembly of a product, thus increasing the efficiency of factories. Workers, paid by wage, and machines were brought together in a central factory. All the processes of production would be carried out under one roof, and would continue as long as it was practical. Inconclusively, Richard Arkwright is the person credited with being the brains behind the growth of factories. After he patented his spinning frame in 1769, he created the first true factory at Cromford, near Derby, England. The factory system was a new way of organizing labor made necessary by the development of machines which were too large to house in a worker's cottage. Working hours were as long as they had been for the farmer, that is, from dawn to dusk, six days per week.

The factory system first spread outside of England when Samuel Slater brought the secret of the water frame to the United States.


[edit] Before the Factory System
In the previous traditional cottage industries, individual families would carry on a trade, such as spinning or weaving, and sell their products as best they could, usually at a market. In time, particularly as equipment became more complex or expensive, or where a landlord or merchant cornered the supply of materials, the equipment and material was rented out to the worker.


[edit] Effect on Society
The factory system would be brought about by an increase in demand for a commodity. This demand would lead to a method being devised to produce it in quantity, usually with a process requiring numbers of people to operate. However, it was more efficient to bring workers to the machines and organize their labour collectively, particularly as the factories would be located power sources near rivers and streams.

The concentration of labour in the new factories also brought the labourers and their families to live in the new towns that rapidly grew up around the factories. The growth of new towns and existing cities helped to start the process of urbanization in many Industrial Age areas. While it is often claimed that the products were inferior; many of the products were innovative, and they could not have been produced in quantity any other way. The factory system marked the end of the individual craftsman.


[edit] Role of the Steam Engine
The factory system was pushed to even greater heights of productivity by the invention of the steam engine, which played a major role in the Industrial Revolution. Originating with the production of cotton goods, the factory system spread to other areas of production, thereby creating whole new industries. The steam engine secured the triumph of the Industrial Revolution. The factory system was made by Henry Clay in the early 1800s.