"The Industrial Revolution, also known as the First Industrial Revolution, was a period of global transition of human economy towards more efficient and stable manufacturing processes that succeeded the Agricultural Revolution, starting from Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840."
The process of transitioning from manual labor to machine-based manufacturing that occurred during the Industrial Revolution, which led to the growth of industries and factories.
Pre-Industrialization: The era before the Industrial Revolution, characterized by hand-made goods, limited transportation, and small-scale production.
Industrialization: The economic and social transformation that occurred between approximately 1760 and 1840, marked by the growth of mass production, mechanization, and large-scale industries.
Industrial Revolution: The term used to describe the period of extensive changes in industry and technology, fuelled by the invention of new machines, techniques, and processes.
Factory System: The organization of labor and production where goods are manufactured in a centralized location using specialized machines and workers.
Textile Industry: The sector of the economy involved in the production of fabrics and clothing, which played a significant role in the early Industrial Revolution.
Steam Engine: The invention of Scottish inventor James Watt, powered by steam and used to drive industrial machinery, including trains and factories.
Mechanical Production: The use of machinery to make goods, rather than relying on hand-made methods.
Urbanization: The movement of people from rural areas to cities in search of employment opportunities created by industrialization.
Capitalism: The economic system characterized by private ownership and investment with the aim of making a profit. Industrialization played a significant role in the development of capitalist practices.
Labor Laws: The laws and regulations surrounding the employment of workers, including health and safety regulations and laws relating to working conditions.
Child Labor: The exploitation of children in the workforce, which was common during the Industrial Revolution.
International Trade: The exchange of goods and services between countries, facilitated by the growth of industrialization and the development of transportation systems.
Transportation: The infrastructure and methods used for moving goods and people. Industrialization saw the development of new modes of transportation, including steam-powered trains and ships, and the growth of road networks.
Mining: The extraction of minerals and other resources from the earth, which played a vital role in the early stages of industrialization.
Iron and Steel Industry: The production of iron and steel, which were essential components of many machines and structures produced during the Industrial Revolution.
Communication: The methods and technology used for sharing information. Industrialization led to the development of new forms of communication, including the telegraph and telephone.
Agricultural Revolution: The period of technological advancements that preceded the Industrial Revolution, characterized by innovations in farming techniques, seeds, and machinery.
Consumer Culture: The phenomenon where people become increasingly focused on buying and owning consumer goods, spurred by the growth of mass production and marketing.
Environmental Impact: The effects of industrialization on the environment, including pollution and resource depletion.
Social Reform Movements: The movements for social and political change that emerged in response to the social and economic upheavals caused by industrialization, including the labor movement, women's suffrage, and abolitionism.
"This transition included going from hand production methods to machines; new chemical manufacturing and iron production processes; the increasing use of water power and steam power; the development of machine tools; and the rise of the mechanized factory system."
"The textile industry was the first to use modern production methods and textiles became the dominant industry in terms of employment, value of output, and capital invested."
"On a structural level, the Industrial Revolution asked society the so-called social question, demanding new ideas for managing large groups of individuals."
"Visible poverty on one hand and growing population and materialistic wealth on the other caused tensions between the very rich and the poorest people within society."
"These tensions were sometimes violently released and led to philosophical ideas such as socialism, communism, and anarchism."
"The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain, and many of the technological and architectural innovations were of British origin."
"The development of trade and the rise of business were among the major causes of the Industrial Revolution."
"The Industrial Revolution influenced in some way almost every aspect of daily life."
"Some economists have said the most important effect of the Industrial Revolution was that the standard of living for the general population in the Western world began to increase consistently for the first time in history."
"GDP per capita was broadly stable before the Industrial Revolution and the emergence of the modern capitalist economy, while the Industrial Revolution began an era of per-capita economic growth in capitalist economies."
"Economic historians agree that the onset of the Industrial Revolution is the most important event in human history since the domestication of animals and plants."
"Eric Hobsbawm held that the Industrial Revolution began in Britain in the 1780s and was not fully felt until the 1830s or 1840s."
"Rapid industrialization first began in Britain, starting with mechanized textiles spinning in the 1780s, with high rates of growth in steam power and iron production occurring after 1800."
"An economic recession occurred from the late 1830s to the early 1840s when the adoption of the Industrial Revolution's early innovations, such as mechanized spinning and weaving, slowed as their markets matured."
"New technologies such as the electrical telegraph, widely introduced in the 1840s and 1850s, were not powerful enough to drive high rates of growth."
"Rapid economic growth began to occur after 1870, springing from a new group of innovations in what has been called the Second Industrial Revolution."
"These innovations included new steel-making processes, mass production, assembly lines, electrical grid systems, the large-scale manufacture of machine tools, and the use of increasingly advanced machinery in steam-powered factories."
"The development of trade and the rise of business were among the major causes of the Industrial Revolution."
"The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, with mechanized textile production spreading to Belgium, the United States, and later textiles in France."