Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
Source: http://www.history.com/topics/industrial-revolution
The Industrial Revolution, which took place from the 18th to 19th centuries, was a period during
which predominantly agrarian, rural societies in Europe and America became industrial and
urban. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, which began in Britain in the late 1700s, manufacturing
was often done in peoples homes, using hand tools or basic machines. Industrialization marked
a shift to powered, special-purpose machinery, factories and mass production. The iron and
textile industries, along with the development of the steam engine, played central roles in the
Industrial Revolution, which also saw improved systems of transportation, communication and
banking. While industrialization brought about an increased volume and variety of manufactured
goods and an improved standard of living for some, it also resulted in often grim employment
and living conditions for the poor and working classes.
A number of factors contributed to Britains role as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution.
For one, it had great deposits of coal and iron ore, which proved essential for industrialization.
Additionally, Britain was a politically stable society, as well as the worlds leading colonial
power, which meant its colonies could serve as a source for raw materials, as well as a
marketplace for manufactured goods.
As demand for British goods increased, merchants needed more cost-effective methods of
production, which led to the rise of mechanization and the factory system.
Developments in the iron industry also played a central role in the Industrial Revolution. In the
early 18th century, Englishman Abraham Darby (1678-1717) discovered a cheaper, easier
method to produce cast iron, using a coke-fueled (as opposed to charcoal-fired) furnace. In the
1850s, British engineer Henry Bessemer (1813-1898) developed the first inexpensive process for
mass-producing steel. Both iron and steel became essential materials, used to make everything
from appliances, tools and machines, to ships, buildings and infrastructure.
The steam engine was also integral to industrialization. In 1712, Englishman Thomas Newcomen
(1664-1729) developed the first practical steam engine (which was used primarily to pump water
out of mines). By the 1770s, Scottish inventor James Watt (1736-1819) had improved on
Newcomens work, and the steam engine went on to power machinery, locomotives and ships
during the Industrial Revolution.