The latter part of the Industrial Revolution also saw key advances in communication methods, as people increasingly saw the need to communicate efficiently over long distances. In , British inventors William Cooke and Charles Wheatstone patented the first commercial telegraphy system, even as Samuel Morse and other inventors worked on their own versions in the United States.
Banks and industrial financiers rose to new prominent during the period, as well as a factory system dependent on owners and managers. A stock exchange was established in London in the s; the New York Stock Exchange was founded in the early s. In , Scottish social philosopher Adam Smith , who is regarded as the founder of modern economics, published The Wealth of Nations. In it, Smith promoted an economic system based on free enterprise, the private ownership of means of production, and lack of government interference.
Though many people in Britain had begun moving to the cities from rural areas before the Industrial Revolution, this process accelerated dramatically with industrialization, as the rise of large factories turned smaller towns into major cities over the span of decades. This rapid urbanization brought significant challenges, as overcrowded cities suffered from pollution, inadequate sanitation and a lack of clean drinking water.
Meanwhile, even as industrialization increased economic output overall and improved the standard of living for the middle and upper classes, poor and working class people continued to struggle. The mechanization of labor created by technological innovation had made working in factories increasingly tedious and sometimes dangerous , and many workers were forced to work long hours for pitifully low wages.
In the decades to come, outrage over substandard working and living conditions would fuel the formation of labor unions , as well as the passage of new child labor laws and public health regulations in both Britain and the United States, all aimed at improving life for working class and poor citizens who had been negatively impacted by industrialization.
The beginning of industrialization in the United States is usually pegged to the opening of a textile mill in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, in by the recent English immigrant Samuel Slater. By the end of the 19th century, with the so-called Second Industrial Revolution underway, the United States would also transition from a largely agrarian society to an increasingly urbanized one, with all the attendant problems.
By the early 20th century, the U. Historians continue to debate many aspects of industrialization, including its exact timeline, why it began in Britain as opposed to other parts of the world and the idea that it was actually more of a gradual evolution than a revolution. The positives and negatives of the Industrial Revolution are complex. On one hand, unsafe working conditions were rife and pollution from coal and gas are legacies we still struggle with today.
On the other, the move to cities and inventions that made clothing, communication and transportation more affordable and accessible to the masses changed the course of world history.
Regardless of these questions, the Industrial Revolution had a transformative economic, social and cultural impact, and played an integral role in laying the foundations for modern society. Start your free trial today. Robert C. Oxford: Oxford University Press, New York: Random House, New York: Grove Press, But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! The first Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain in the mid-to-late s, when innovation led to goods being produced in large quantities due to machine manufacturing.
This spread around the globe, and the Second Industrial Revolution began in the U. The first Industrial Revolution began in the second half of the 18th century while the Second Industrial Revolution began in the late 19th century. Technological changes, such as the use of iron and steel, and new energy sources such as coal and steam, and the factory system, which led to a division of labor and specialization, which increased efficiency.
The three most important inventions of the first Industrial Revolution include the steam engine, the spinning jenny, and the telegraph.
The three most important inventions of the Second Industrial Revolution include the combustible engine, electricity, and the lightbulb. History Hit. Business Essentials. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for Investopedia. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data.
We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes. Your Money. Personal Finance. Your Practice. Popular Courses. Business Essentials Guide to Mergers and Acquisitions. Business Business Essentials. What Was the Industrial Revolution? Key Takeaways The first industrial revolution began in Great Britain in the s and s and was a time of significant innovation. Both Industrial Revolutions led to inventions that included the telephone, the steam engine, the sewing machine, the X-ray, the lightbulb, and the combustible engine.
Working for businesses during the Industrial Revolution paid better wages than agricultural work. The increase in the number of factories and migration to the cities led to pollution, deplorable working and living conditions, and child labor. Advantages Advancements in production Growth in innovations and inventions Workers earned higher wages Improvements in transportation networks.
Disadvantages Deplorable working conditions and child labor Unsanitary living conditions and pollution Food shortages. Article Sources. Investopedia requires writers to use primary sources to support their work. These include white papers, government data, original reporting, and interviews with industry experts.
We also reference original research from other reputable publishers where appropriate. You can learn more about the standards we follow in producing accurate, unbiased content in our editorial policy.
Compare Accounts. The offers that appear in this table are from partnerships from which Investopedia receives compensation. The substitute fuel eventually proved highly beneficial for iron production.
Experimentation led to some other advances in metallurgical methods during the 18 th century. Wrought iron is more malleable than cast iron and therefore more suitable for fabricating machinery and other heavy industrial applications. Those are the years historians commonly use to bracket the Industrial Revolution.
In this period, the organization of cotton production shifted from a small-scale cottage industry, in which rural families performed spinning and weaving tasks in their homes, to a large, mechanized, factory-based industry. The boom in productivity began with a few technical devices, including the spinning jenny, spinning mule, and power loom. First human, then water, and finally steam power were applied to operate power looms, carding machines, and other specialized equipment.
Another well-known innovation was the cotton gin, invented in the United States in This device spurred an increase in cotton cultivation and export from U. Chemicals This industry arose partly in response to the demand for improved bleaching solutions for cotton and other manufactured textiles.
Other chemical research was motivated by the quest for artificial dyes, explosives, solvents, fertilizers, and medicines, including pharmaceuticals. Transportation Concurrent with the increased output of agricultural produce and manufactured goods arose the need for more efficient means of delivering these products to market. The first efforts toward this end in Europe involved constructing improved overland roads.
Canals were dug in both Europe and North America to create maritime corridors between existing waterways. Steam engines were recognized as useful in locomotion, resulting in the emergence of the steamboat in the early 19 th century.
High-pressure steam engines also powered railroad locomotives, which operated in Britain after Railways spread rapidly across Europe and North America, extending to Asia in the latter half of the 19 th century.
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