The Industrial Revolution is a period that took place from the 18th century to the 19th century in which there was a significant shift from predominantly rural societies in Europe and America to an urban and industrial set-up. Before the Industrial Revolution, which began in Britain in the late 1700s, manufacturing was primarily done at people’s homes, using hand-held tools or simple machines. The Industrial Revolution resulted in a massive shift from the use of these simple tools to more sophisticated machinery.
The use of the steam engine enabled the mass production of products. Textiles and iron industries also played a key role in the Industrial Revolution at the time. Industrialization improved the transportation and communication systems
…show more content…
The advances made in technology and an increasing number of factories enabled farmers and manufacturers to produce even more goods at a much faster pace. It brought about major advancements in the transportation, agriculture, and manufacturing industries, which initially started in Britain before spreading quickly across the world.
The second revolution can be attributed to an abundance of labor supply, natural resources, government policies, inventions and the railroads. American inventors such as Alexander Graham Bell made major contributions to this revolution. During this period, prices and production costs declined significantly, and there was a subsequent rise in productivity. Immigration also contributed to the revolution because people were coming from Europe and other regions with ideas and inventions that eased their way of living (Foner, 2012)
The third industrial revolution is currently being paved by renewable wind and solar energy, new manufacturing technologies such as 3D video displays and the internet. Unlike the previous industrial revolutions, the third industrial revolution technologies are distributed and this, in turn, promotes a more decentralized society. Renewable energy and the internet are found everywhere which means they are relatively cheaper to exploit and use