Notes

e last part of the 18th century. It began in Great Britain.
This revolution was an economic one, and it changed the way the world produced goods.
The population went from being agricultural to industrial. This meant people moved off of the farms and out of the country. There were huge numbers of people that moved into cities. Many people were forced to move to the cities to look for work. They ended up living in cities that could not support them.
During this time, there were also many new advancements in technology. The assembly line was one of the biggest inventions. Henry Ford is credited with this invention.
Some of the biggest advancements were in steam power. New fuels such as coal and petroleum, were used in these new steam engines. This revolutionized many industries including textiles and manufacturing.
Another invention was called the telegraph. This made communicating across the ocean easier and much faster. Messages could be sent and received in minutes and delivered the same day. Writing a letter and sending it overseas could take weeks.
The Industrial Revolution was not a good revolution for the earth. Industry was releasing huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and waste into the waterways and soil. Pollution by nuclear waste, pesticides and other chemicals are also the result of the Industrial Revolution.
Many natural resources were being used up at an alarming rate.
Advances in farming resulted in an increased supply of food and raw materials. The changes in industry and new technology resulted in increased production of thousands of goods. Companies were more efficient and earned bigger profits.
The year 1760, is generally accepted as the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. In reality, the revolution began more than two centuries before this date. The late 18th century and the early l9th century brought out the ideas and discoveries of those who had lived a long time before like Galileo, Bacon, Descartes and others.