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1、EnergyandtheIndustrialRevolutionForyearshistorianshavesoughttoidentifycrucialelementsintheeighteenth-centuryriseinindustry,technology,andeconomicpowerKnownastheIndustrialRevolution,andmanygiveprominencetotheproblemofenergy.Untiltheeighteenthcentury,peoplereliedonenergyderivedfromplantsaswellasanim
2、alandhumanmuscletoprovidepowerIncreasedefficiencyintheuseofwaterandwindhelpedwithsuchtasksaspumping,milling,orsailing.However,bytheeighteenthcentury,GreatBritaininparticularwasexperiencinganenergyshortage.Wood,theprimarysourceofheatforhomesandindustriesandalsousedintheironindustryasprocessedcharco
3、al,wasdiminishinginsupply.GreatBritainhadlargeamountsofcoal;however,therewerenotyetefficientmeansbywhichtoproducemechanicalenergyortopowermachinery.Thiswastooccurwithprogressinthedevelopmentofthesteamengine.Inthelate1700sJamesWattdesignedanefficientandcommerciallyviablesteamenginethatwassoonapplie
4、dtoavarietyofindustrialusesasitbecamecheapertouse.Theenginehelpedsolvetheproblemofdrainingcoalminesofgroundwaterandincreasedtheproductionofcoalneededtopowersteamengineselsewhere.Arotaryengineattachedtothesteamengineenabledshaftstobeturnedandmachinestobedriven,resultinginmillsusingsteampowertospina
5、ndweavecotton.Sincethesteamenginewasfiredbycoal,thelargemillsdidnotneedtobelocatedbyrivers,ashadmillsthatusedwater-drivenmachines.Theshifttoincreasedmechanizationincottonproductionisapparentintheimportofrawcottonandthesaleofcottongoods.Between1760and1850,theamountofrawcottonimportedincreased230tim
6、es.ProductionofBritishcottongoodsincreasedsixtyfold,andcottonclothbecameGreatBritain’smostimportantproduct,accountingforone-halfofallexports.Thesuccessofthesteamengineresultedinincreaseddemandsforcoal,andtheconsequentincreaseincoalproductionwasmadepossibleasthesteam-poweredpumpsdrainedwaterfromthe
7、ever-deepercoalseamsfoundbelowthewatertable.Theavailabilityofsteampowerandthedemandsfornewmachinesfacilitatedthetransformationoftheironindustry.Charcoal,madefromwoodandthusinlimitedsupply,wasreplacedwithcoal-deri
