Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution, widespread replacement of manual labor by machines that began in Britain in the 18th century and is still continuing in some parts of the world. The Industrial Revolution was the result of many fundamental, interrelated changes that transformed agricultural economies into industrial ones. The most immediate changes were in the nature of production: what was produced, as well as where and how. Goods that had traditionally been made in the home or in small workshops began to be manufactured in the factory. Productivity and technical efficiency grew dramatically, in part through the systematic application of scientific and practical knowledge to the manufacturing process. Efficiency was also enhanced when large groups of business enterprises were located within a limited area. The Industrial Revolution led to the growth of cities as people moved from rural areas into urban communities in search of work.The changes brought by the Industrial Revolution overturned not only traditional economies, but also whole societies. Economic changes caused far-reaching social changes, including the movement of people to cities, the availability of a greater variety of material go
In the 19th century the Industrial Revolution spread not only to the United States, but also to Germany, France, Belgium, and much of the rest of western Europe. By 1850, after it had become a center of cotton manufacturing, its population had grown to more than 350,000. The process greatly reduced the need for manual labor and cut milling costs dramatically. Some industries concentrated production in fewer but bigger and more productive facilities. From that time until the end of the 19th century, farm workers dropped from about 75 percent of the work force to about 40 percent. This free-market approach was made popular through British philosopher and economist Adam Smith and his book The Wealth of Nations (1776). In Germany the central government's role was also greater than it had been in Great Britain. Women in households who had earned income from spinning found the new factories taking away their source of income. B Changes in Society The Industrial Revolution also had considerable impact upon the nature of work. The Bessemer process, developed by British inventor Henry Bessemer, enabled steel to be produced more efficiently by using blasts of air to convert crude iron into steel. Engineers studied and modified production, seeking the most efficient ways to lay out a factory, move materials, route jobs, and control work through precise scheduling. Just as in the first revolution, these changes prompted further innovations, which led to further economic growth. In 1860 there were only 9 American cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants; by 1900 there were 38. In the factories, people had to work long hours under harsh conditions, often with few rewards. By the early 20th century, Ford's mass production techniques and Taylor's scientific management principles had come to symbolize America's place as the leading industrial nation.
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