Industrial Revolution


No element of Europe´s Modern transformation held a greater significance for the history of humankind than the Industrial Revolution, which took place in 1750 and 1900. French Revolution transform European society, Agricultural Revolution some 12,000 years ago had a way of life been so fundamentally altered. Industrial Revolution in Great Britain, spread much more rapidly than agriculture. More than Christianity, democracy or capitalism. Industrial Revolution enthusiastically welcomed everywhere.

 The global context for this transformation lies in the very substantial increase in human numbers. From 375 million in 1400 to 1 billion in 19th century. Industrial Revolution marks a human response to that dilemma as nonrenewable fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas replaced the endlessly renewable energy sources of Wind, water and wood.  Raw materials to feed to fuel industrial machinery- coal iron, petroleum altered landscape in many places. Some from coal fired industries and domestic use polluted the air in urban areas, - respiratory illness. Industrial Revolution marked a new era in both human history and the history of the planet. – Ecological, atmospheric and geological history.

Technological innovations: The Spinning Jenny, Power Loom, Steam Engine, Cotton Gin = culture of innovation. Industrial Revolution spread beyond textile industry to iron and steel production, railroads, steamships, food processing and construction. Second Industrial Revolution focused on chemicals, electricity, precision machinery, the telegraph and telephone. New industries emerged in automobiles, airplanes, consumer durable goods, electronics, computers.

Europe was destined to lead the way to modern economic life. It’s not Eurocentric approach. Islamic world generated major advances in shipbuilding. India had long been world center of cotton textile.  Economic indicators such as life expectancies, patterns of consumption and nutrition, wage levels, general living standards, free markets and merchant communities led to the major civilizations of Europe emerged to innovate. The new societies of the Americas offered a growing number market for European machine produced goods and generated substantial profits for European merchants and entrepreneurs.

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