Manchester’s development from a relatively insignificant town to the world’s first industrial city took little over a century. Since this time it has played a role in the social, political and economic shaping of both Britain and the world and has continued to remain an internationally well known city though its musical and sporting achievements.

Roman Times and the Dark Ages

The Roman fort of Mancunium/ Mamucium was first built in 79AD. Rebuilt in a permanent form in the following years, the fort of was strategic importance, lying on the main road between York and Chester. A civilian settlement soon developed which served the needs of the garrison and passing travellers. During the Dark Ages, the fort was abandoned, and in post-Roman or Saxon times the focus of settlement at Manchester shifted to the confluence of the rivers Irwell and Irk.

Medieval Times

Manchester is mentioned in the Doomsday Book (a record of all that was in Britain, produced in 1086). Much of whatever did exist at this time of the city was probably destroyed in the so called ‘Harrying of North’, which was undertaken by William the Conqueror.

The two cities of Manchester and Salford, which now merge seamlessly into each other, are attributed to a slip in a medieval clerk’s pen, as two town charters were granted to the respective areas, despite Manchester being part of Salfordshire and Salford being part of the ancient Parish of Manchester. The distinction remains up to this day. Manchester had a market (granted in 1301) and a church and so grew to be the more important of the two towns.

As a Textile Town

The wool trade had made Manchester a successful market town by the beginning of the sixteenth century, something which was built upon in 1620 with the start of fustian weaving. The growth of the textile trade continued, and consequently strengthened ties with the capital London. This is something which is attributed to the spread of Puritanism into the city, which in turn led to the city siding with Parliament it its battle with Charles I during the English Civil war, during which the town was forced to successfully defended itself from a siege. The consequences of this choice of sides however meant that Manchester was politically punished for many years, with no members of Parliament until 1832, although this did not stop the town from growing in size an importance in regards to trade.

The Industrial Revolution

This was arguably the most important part of Manchester’s history, when the town changed from being of minor importance to a city at the technological and political forefront of the world. The western Pennine Hills, full of streams, rivers and brooks, along with the damp climate created the perfect environment for water-powered cotton mills. These cotton Mills, such as Wren Nest Mill in Glossop, were the back-bone of the industrialisation of production. The cotton was imported from Liverpool and brought along the ship cannels where it was spun and then sent back through the port and around the world.

Richard Arkwright is credited as the first to erect a cotton mill in the city, which after initial trouble became a great success. This resulted in the rapid spread of cotton mills throughout Manchester and in the surrounding subsidiary towns. Different industries sprung up to serve the town, including foundries, a print works and a large market place. In 1830, the world’s first passenger railway opened up between Manchester and Liverpool, which as well as linking the people form the different cities (which proved to be an important part of the social development of the UK) also provided the faster transportation of raw and finished goods.

Manchester started to suffer economically towards the end of the 19^th Century, partly due to the reliance it had on the Port of Liverpool, which was charging high fees for use of the docks. The building of the Manchester Ship canal, which linked the city directly with the sea along a series of inland waterways, was completed in 1894. It meant that Manchester became the county’s third busiest port despite being 64km in land. The docks ceased to function in 1970.

As a Centre of Radicalism

At the end of the eighteenth century there was the first serious recession in the textile

trade; food riots took place in 1797 and soup kitchens were established in 1799. Popular unrest was paralleled by unhappiness that there was no political representation in Parliament for Manchester's ever growing population and widespread discontent grew around this issue.

Protest became bloodshed with the Peterloo Massacre of 1819. In this famous meeting, a crowd had gathered to hear a speech in favour of greater political representation. The local authorities were fearful of the results and so sent troops in to arrest the speaker. What resulted was the killing of many of the protesters, something which shocked the country and had widespread political implications far into the future. The now internationally famous, and then radical newspaper, The Manchester Guardian was established shortly afterwards.

The German social philosopher Friedrich Engels lived in Manchester from 1842-1844, and thus continued the cities reputation as a place of political radicalism, as his influential book based on his experiences of the Manchester cotton mills, The Condition of the Working Class in England (1845) and meeting with Karl Marx, went on to have widespread political consequences.

The 20^th Century

By the 1930s the population of Manchester started to decline, as the textile industry nose dived largely because of the Great Depression and the expansion of foreign competition. During the Second World War, the industries of the city were heavily targeted by German bombers, leaving damage to large parts of the city including the cathedral.

After the war, much of Manchester was redeveloped in line with the rest of Europe. The large high-rise flats started to dominate the skyline, although many of them are now in the process of being pulled down. Though the industry of the city was grinding to a halt, the city started to redevelop itself as a city of research and development. The father of modern computing, Alan Turning, was based at Manchester University, when his idea led in 1948 to first stored computer to run a programme. This diversification of the city's economy helped to cushion the blow of industrial decline. But, as with many inner-city areas, the growth of car ownership and commuting meant that many people moved from the inner-city and into surrounding suburbs and large areas of the city suffered. This was exasperated by the economic restructuring undertaken by the Thatcher government in the 1980s.

The New Manchester

The late 1980’s and early 1990s saw a sharp rise in the popularity of the Manchester music scene. For a while the city was dubbed Madchester, as it became the baggy and rave centre in the UK. Apart from music, film, television and fashion also boomed in the city – as it became a hotbed of alternative culture. In 2002, the city hosted the Commonwealth Games in a way which brought it widespread international praise. This was widely seen as proof that the city had to some extent redeveloped after a tough economic period in the 1980s and the IRA bomb attack in 1996, which left a large part of the city centre devastated. The city is rapidly changing, with modern eco-friendly skyscrapers, a redeveloped central shopping area and lively cultural scene, giving the city a modern and internationally famous reputation.