Summary
The Industrial Revolution was the great change in the way things were produced that began in Great Britain in the mid-18th century and spread across Europe and the United States in the 19th. Work moved from hand labour in workshops and fields to production in factories with machines. The key invention was the steam engine, perfected by James Watt, which ran on coal.
The first sectors to change were textiles (cotton) and iron-making. Railways and steamships made transport cheaper and linked distant markets. At the same time, an agricultural revolution produced more food with fewer workers, and many people moved from the countryside to the cities to work in factories: the rural exodus. Cities grew very fast and without planning.
A new class society was born: the bourgeoisie, who owned the factories and the capital, and the proletariat, the workers who had only their labour. Conditions were very harsh: 12- to 16-hour days, child labour, low wages and unhealthy housing. In response the labour movement arose: first Luddism (smashing machines), then trade unions and ideologies such as Marx's socialism and anarchism, which fought for better conditions.
Key points
- It begins in Great Britain in the mid-18th century.
- Work moves from workshops and fields to factories with machines.
- Key invention: the coal-powered steam engine (James Watt).
- First sectors: textiles (cotton) and iron-making.
- Railways and steamships make transport cheaper.
- Rural exodus: from the countryside to fast-growing, unplanned cities.
- A new class society: bourgeoisie and proletariat.
- Labour movement: Luddism, trade unions, socialism and anarchism.