How Did The Spinning Mule Improve Industry

The Industrial Revolution was a massive movement of society in the late 17th and early 18th century which completely changed the way civilisation worked. Human labor and skill was replaced by the tireless work of machines which allowed for mass production of materials. This destroyed the cottage industry and forced everyone to move to the city to get a job in the factories. The rich got richer and the poor got poorer. During this time period many new machines were invented, including the Spinning Mule. This was invented by Samuel Crompton and massively improved the production of fabrics and cottons, and once again advanced the industrial and economic world.

What was the Spinning Mule?

The Spinning Mule was a combination of the Spinning Jenny

After destroying the cottage industry of home spinners, the Spinning Mule did improve and expand other industries. Firstly, it improved the cotton industry. In 1787, cotton goods production was 10 times more than in 1770. Also, the desire for more and more cotton meant that more cotton farms had to be made and maintained. Because of this, a massive slave boom occurred in the Southern States of America which needed more slaves to grow the cotton. Although it was far away, the Lancashire cotton industry was heavily reliant on Southern American cotton

The work hours were demanding and difficult, covering six days of the week and lasted sometimes up to 14 to 16 hours. Although it was difficult and dangerous to work in the factory, the Spinning Mule made the process easier and safer due to less machine transitioning and less workers needed. The Spinning Mule also had a great impact on the economy. It massively improved the cotton imports and exports, as mentioned before and, of course, the Spinning Mule exports. All the large cotton industries wanted the Spinning Mule and at the peak of its use, there were about 50,000,000 Spinning Mules in Lancashire itself. Once again, the rich got richer and the poor got poorer. The Spinning Mule also helped lead to the Luddite riots where the people rioted because they wanted well-paid and safe work. This was its main global