Today we will do a little excursion into world history. What caused the emergence of manufactories? In grade 7, this question is asked by a teacher in a history lesson. It’s easy to answer. It is only necessary to have a general idea of the economic situation in Europe on the eve of the New Age.
Transition period
In order to answer the question of what caused the emergence of manufactories, it is worth imagining the situation that prevailed in Europe in the XVI-XVII centuries. At this time, traditional feudal norms of housekeeping still took place.
On the one hand, the tools, methods and skills of people retained a medieval character. On the other hand, certain areas of the economy were outlined, the development of which was proceeding at an accelerated pace. This is primarily mining, metallurgy, shipbuilding, shipping, printing, paper manufacturing from glass and new types of fabrics.
The combination of features in the economy of the elements of the Middle Ages and the New Age - was this the reason for the emergence of manufactories? Of course not. Enterprises began to appear after significant changes in the areas of production and trade.
The need for large volumes of products
What caused the emergence of manufactories? First of all, the need to increase the scale of production of certain products. To organize long trips, powerful sea ships equipped with the latest technology were needed. It was required to develop the production of durable fabrics for sails and build shipyards.
Science development
The progress of industries such as mining, metallurgy, shipping, shipbuilding, was impossible without qualified specialists. To prepare them, special faculties were created at universities, books were written and printed.
After the appearance of the first European settlements in the colonies, specialists were needed there. And that means that university graduates were sent there, who brought with them whole libraries of books they needed in their work.
With the development of international trade and population growth in overseas colonies, the demand for products increased. What artisans united in the workshop produced was no longer enough. The number of workers in the workshops was strictly regulated by special charters. So, what caused the emergence of manufactories? The short answer is: "Not enough workers in various industries."
New production system
By the beginning of the 16th century, it became obvious that such an organization of production was an obstacle to the development of industry. There was an urgent need to create a completely new type of production.
It was created by enterprising merchants interested in increasing the number of products they traded. Having decided to refuse the services of city workshops, they relied on village artisans. To the question: “What caused the emergence of manufactories?”, One can answer as follows: “The desire of merchants to increase sales.”
Example
A wealthy yarn merchant buys a large batch of wool. Then he takes her to the villages, where he distributes it to local artisans. Preliminarily agrees on payment and terms of production. After a while, the merchant again goes around the villages, receives finished goods and pays off with artisans.
In such a simple way, he could save money (in the village the cost of work was always lower than in the city), in time to receive the finished goods, and even significantly increase its quantity. After all, no one limited the merchant in the question of how many artisans to entrust the execution of the order.
The meaning of the term
Enterprises of a new type were called manufactories. Translated from Latin, this word means "hand-made product." This name, of course, did not arise by chance. Artisans did not use any machines in their work, everything that they created was done manually. Initially, in the XVI-XVII centuries, each employee of such an enterprise worked at home. Such a factory was called "scattered", and the one who worked for it turned into a hired worker.
This was convenient for the peasants, since in winter they brought additional permanent income. However, over time, the merchants realized that it was unprofitable to depend on the free time of the villagers, on the availability and quality of their tools.
Division of labor in enterprises
At the end of the 17th century, entrepreneurs began to build special buildings where workers of different specialties worked all year round. Such a manufactory began to be called "centralized."
The next step in the development of production was the division of labor. If before the workshop foreman had to be able to do all the operations necessary in the manufacture of the product, now each worker became a specialist in performing only one.
Goods until their final readiness passed through dozens, and sometimes hundreds of hands. At manufactories, unlike workshops, sometimes thousands of people worked. The first large enterprises appeared in the 16th century in the Netherlands and England. Then in the XVII century a similar system spread to France. It soon became predominant.
To the question of what caused the emergence of manufactories, a brief answer is presented above. The development of enterprises, factories and factories is the topic of another article.