Industrial Revolution

Industrial Revolution is the name given by the German socialist author Friedrich Engels in 1844 to changes that took place in Great Britain during the period from roughly 1730 to 1850. In general, those changes involved the transformation of Great Britain from a largely agrarian society to one dominated by industry. In a broader context, the term has also been applied to the transformation of the Trans-Atlantic economy, including continental Europe and the United States in the nineteenth century.

Without question, the Industrial Revolution involved some of the most profound changes in human society in history. However, historians have long argued over the exact nature of the changes that occurred during this period, the factors that brought about these changes, and the ultimate effects the Revolution was to have on Great Britain and the world.

Most of the vast array of changes that took place during the Industrial Revolution can be found in one of three major economic sectors—textiles, iron, and steel, as well as transportation. These changes had far-flung effects on the British economy and social system.