Industrialisation

• What period does the study material cover regarding industrialisation?

  c.1700-c.1900
• How did industrialisation impact warfare between 1850 and 1900?

  It rapidly changed transport and weaponry
• What was the speed advantage of steam trains over foot soldiers?

  15 times faster
• How fast could supplies be moved using steam transport compared to wagons?

  At 20 mph instead of 10 miles a day
• Where was the first military railway laid?

  At Balaclava in the Crimea
• How did steamships improve naval warfare speed?

  They sailed twice as fast as sailing ships
• How long did it take requisitioned steamships to ship men and supplies to the Crimea?

  Less than three weeks
• What new technology was developed for warfare during the Crimean War?

  Specialised coastal attack craft and iron-clad exteriors
• What explosive led to the development of percussion bullets?

  Fulminate of mercury
• What invention led to smokeless gunpowder?

  The chemical nitroglycerine
• What was the relationship between old and new technology after 1850?

  Horses were used alongside steam trains and ships
• What was the role of the electric telegraph in communication?

  It allowed governments to contact armies
• When did the British start a Military Telegraph detachment?

  In 1854
• How long was the first field telegraph network built by the British?

  24 miles
• What was the impact of improved metal production by the 1850s?

  It made iron and steel available at low cost
• What did the invention of factory production lines enable?

  Mass production of identical parts
• How did these developments affect the army's weaponry?

  It allowed standardised, reliable weaponry at lower costs
• Who patented a method of mass-producing steel cheaply in 1856?

  Henry Bessemer
• What was the cost reduction of steel per ton due to Bessemer's method?

  From £50 to £17 per ton
• Who developed the Maxim machine gun in 1864?

  Hiram Maxim
• What was the firing capacity of the Maxim machine gun?

  500 bullets before reloading
• Who patented a more accurate boring method for cannon barrels in 1774?

  John Wilkinson
• What type of gun did George Armstrong pioneer in 1857?

  Breech-loading rifled smooth-bore gun
• What were the key technological advancements in warfare during the period of industrialisation?

  • Steam-powered transport (trains and ships)
  • Development of fulminate of mercury and nitroglycerine
  • Electric telegraph for communication
  • Mass production of weaponry
  • Innovations like the Maxim machine gun and breech-loading rifles
• What were the impacts of steam transport on military operations?

  • Troops moved 15 times faster than on foot
  • Supplies transported at 20 mph
  • Enabled armies to operate further from home
• How did communication improve during the industrialisation period?

  • Use of the electric telegraph
  • Military Telegraph detachment established
  • First field telegraph network connected eight stations
• What were the effects of mass production on military equipment?

  • Standardised, reliable weaponry
  • Lower costs for equipping the army
  • Enabled mass production of identical parts