The Industrial Revolution began over 200 years ago. It changed the way in which many products, including cloth and textiles, were manufactured. It is called a "revolution" because the changes it caused were great and sudden. It greatly affected the way people lived and worked. This revolution helped to bring about the modern world we know today in many ways. The Industrial Revolution was a major change in the nature of production in which machines replaced tools and steam and other energy sources replaced human or animal power. The Industrial Revolution began in England in the middle 1700s. During the Industrial Revolution, workers became more productive, items were manufactured, prices dropped, making hard to make items available to the working and middle class and not only the wealthy. Life generally improved, but the Industrial Revolution was also harmful. Pollution increased, working conditions were harmful, and capitalists employed women and young children, making them work long hours for low wages. The Industrial Revolution began in England for many reasons. In 1700s,Britain 's economy was mainly an agricultural economy. Wealthy landowners bought up all the land and enclosed their land with fences allowing them to cultivate larger fields called enclosures. This caused the enclosure movement, which put most small farmers out of work causing them to move to cities. This movement to cities is known as urbanization, which gave Britain a large population of workers.