What was the role of the factory at the start of the industrial revolution? What made the factory system possible? The Industrial Revolution in Britain is recognized as a period of great industrial capitalism, the development of machinery and the emergence of the working class.1 The growth of factories began shortly after Richard Arkwright patented the spinning frame in 1769.2 Factories allowed hundreds of unskilled workers to find employment operating machines and dramatically changed their way of life as jobs moved away from rural areas. The system of subcontracting work gradually ended as work became centralized in factories. 3 Few industries continued to produce domestic products like the iron industry. At the height of the Industrial Revolution, few laws had been passed to protect all workers. A factory system has four main characteristics: ; mechanized equipment, workers under one roof, division of labor, and supervision of employees.3 Technological advances in cotton mills, water frames, and steam power quickly became too large to accommodate households, leading to factories to replace the formerly domestic system.3 Once factories were in place, rural residents who were unable to find work took jobs in the factories. The Industrial Revolution in Britain was a success due to investment in machinery, the use of supervision and improved quality control. 4The factory system allowed materials and goods to be manufactured more quickly and cheaply. Before the Industrial Revolution, working hours were irregular and long periods of inactivity were the norm. In the agricultural sector, workers worked according to the harvest calendar. With factories, a regular production schedule was mandatory to maintain... middle of paper ... complementarity: the factory system in the British industrial revolution. " Doctor of Philosophy, Northwestern University, 2002.6 Galbi, Douglas. "Economic change and gender discrimination in early English cotton mills.", King's College, 1994. GalbiThink www.galbithink.org/womwork.htm.7 Stearns, Peter N .. The Industrial Revolution in World History. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 19938. Hutchins, Elizabeth Leigh and JJ Mallon Women in Modern Industry... with a chapter by JJ Mallon. Bell and Sons, 1915.9. of the factory system on women and children [England: Pendlebury and Sons, 1899. Unknown. “Women Factory Workers.” Woman's Leader and The Common Cauce, July 18, 1913. Leader of Women and The Common Cause, August 3, 1917.