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The Industrial Revolution was a period of global transition when industry began to move towards more efficient and stable manufacturing processes. It started in Great Britain, spreading out across continental Europe and into the United States from around 1760 onwards. The transition saw business move from hand production towards the use of machines, the development of tools and the rise of machinery in factory settings. The result was an unprecedented rise in population.
The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain and many of the innovations were of British origin. By the mid-18th century, Britain was the world’s leading commercial nation and controlled a global trading empire. It marked a major turning point in history and influenced almost every aspect of daily life. Average...Read More
The Industrial Revolution was a period of global transition when industry began to move towards more efficient and stable manufacturing processes. It started in Great Britain, spreading out across continental Europe and into the United States from around 1760 onwards. The transition saw business move from hand production towards the use of machines, the development of tools and the rise of machinery in factory settings. The result was an unprecedented rise in population.
The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain and many of the innovations were of British origin. By the mid-18th century, Britain was the world’s leading commercial nation and controlled a global trading empire. It marked a major turning point in history and influenced almost every aspect of daily life. Average income and population began to grow and the standard of living for the general population increased consistently for the first time in history.
The Industrial Revolution saw a rise in the use of new materials, including iron and steel, as well as new energy sources, such as coal, steam, electricity, petroleum and the internal combustion engine, as well as the invention of new machines that permitted an increased production with smaller expenditure. Another outcome of the Industrial Revolution was something known as the factory system, which increased division of labour and specialisation of aspects of labour. As a result, there were significant developments in transportation, communication and the application of science to industry.
It wasn’t just industry as we know it that improved with these changes. Agricultural improvements were also made, which made it possible to provide food for a larger population.
The industrial Revolution saw a huge rise in population, which led to a shift in economic power and brought in huge social changes, including the growth of the cities, development of working class movements, such as unions and political parties, and a change in transferrable skills.
The first wave of the Industrial Revolution took place between 1760 and 1830 and was confined largely to Britain. At the time, the authorities were aware of this head start and so forbade the export of machinery, skilled workers and manufacturing techniques, something that other nations would bring in later on.
The spread across Europe is largely thanks to two Englishmen, William and John Cockerill, who developed their own machine shops in Belgium, which led to Belgium becoming the first country in continental Europe to see the same economic transformations as Britain. Both Britain and Belgium were, at the time, leaders in the iron, coal and textile industries. Once the Industrial Revolution began to spread across Europe, Germany had outproduced Britain in steel and became the world leader in chemical industries by the turn of the century.
Though some historians claim the Industrial Revolution was one era, others divide it into the initial years of the revolution up until 1830 and the later years into the 19th and 20th centuries. At this point, industry began to exploit many natural and synthetic resources that hadn’t been used previously, including lighter metals, new alloys, plastics, and energy sources. These, along with developments in machines and the introduction of computers gave rise to more automated factories.
In the latter half of the Industrial Revolution, ownership of production began to change. Initially, ownership of factories and other industries were down to one or two individuals or a single family, however industry began to give way to a wider distribution of ownership through shares and insurance companies.
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