INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION: BEGINNING, STAGES, CHANGES AND IMPACT - HISTORY - 2025

The Industrial Revolution was a period in history characterized by complete industrialization, which began in the late 1700s and lasted until the beginning of the 19th century. This revolution started in the UK, but spread across the world relatively quickly.

It is considered, for example, that there was a second industrial revolution (or second stage of the Industrial Revolution) that originated in the year 1870, with the introduction of oil as a fuel source.

Factory workers from the time of the Industrial Revolution., via Wikimedia Commons

This period of time refers to all the mechanization of agriculture and large industries such as textiles. The advancements that occurred in this revolution also gave rise to new transportation machinery, such as steamships and trains.

The changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution were not purely economic. The social and cultural conditions of humanity changed in their entirety, which adapted society to a modern world, which came to be governed by heavy machinery.

Working conditions, as a consequence of this revolution, changed definitively throughout the world.

Start and background

Many of the factors that brought about the Industrial Revolution have their origin in pre-industrial British society. The factors occurred at the same time at the end of the 18th century, which in turn caused the events necessary to begin to evolve the industry at a mechanical level.

Agrarian revolution

One of the factors that most influenced the beginning of the Industrial Revolution was just another revolution that occurred in the seventeenth century: the British Agrarian Revolution.

Food production in England had a historically unprecedented increase in the island nation, causing a disproportionate increase in population. This meant that a greater quantity of products was required to meet the needs of the people.

Agriculture, around 1830, had also changed its appearance compared to how it had been a few centuries ago. In the past, farmers produced to pay taxes and duties to the state, but in the 19th century, most farmers owned their own farms.

This caused them to focus more on producing much more food, which increased their profits significantly and generated a food surplus that allowed for population growth.

Resource availability

The first technologies that emerged during the industrialization process in the United Kingdom required coal, waterways and iron. England had all these goods in great abundance, which allowed the development of new tools without the fear that resources were scarce.

Although steam played an important role, early technologies were based on hydraulic power. Furthermore, transport routes were central to movement within the region, which made British rivers and canals play an important role in the development of industries.

Political and civil prosperity

During the 18th century, England was in a completely unique state in its history. The prices of goods and services were stable, as the monarchy had lost some control over them and the people gained the ability to save money as they had never been able to do.

These changes caused the politics and cultural society of Great Britain to change almost entirely, moving society towards a more modern era. Stability had been preceded by the wars of the seventeenth century, but now, with the agrarian revolution and a functional system, English society was more at peace than ever.

The country's new economic system allowed its inhabitants to invest much more in the development of new technologies, which played a crucial role in the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.

The scientific state of society also allowed the development of new technologies. Now that the country was at peace, British intellectuals set about producing new inventions that collaborated with the country's industrial movement.

Start

The Textile Industry was the first to introduce new technologies, which is why it is considered to be the one that started the Industrial Revolution in the British Isles.

The great demand that the town had for clothes made the industry develop new technologies to meet the demands of the people. Originally, watchmaker James Kay created a machine that allowed one person to do the work of two in one day.

This machine was called "flying shuttle", and it would be to weave much faster than what was done at the time. Then many other systems of industrialization arose which, over time, turned British society into a source of technological advancement that later spread throughout the world.

Stages

The Industrial Revolution had two equally important stages. Many historians divide these stages into two different revolutions, since there is a 40-year margin between the fundamental inventions that characterized both.

However, these stages of the Industrial Revolution were fundamental in the development of machinery in societies, both commercially and industrially.

First Industrial Revolution (1760-1830)

Vapor

La maquinaria de vapor comenzó a ser utilizada de manera industrial en la década de los 1780. Esto permitió que se desarrollasen fábricas semi-automáticas a gran escala, sin necesitar de una fuente de agua cercana.

La máquina de vapor había sido inventada por James Watt, originalmente para ser utilizada en la industria minera. Sin embargo, su adaptación al cambio de producción industrial representó una mejora significativa a los sistemas de desarrollo tecnológico.

Hierro

La industria del hierro también tuvo una gran mejora. Al momento de derretir el hierro, se empezó a aplicar un combustible natural llamado “coque”. Con la aplicación de este, se sustituyó de manera definitiva el uso del carbón, maximizando la capacidad productiva de la industria.

Mejoras generales

La Revolución Industrial tuvo como principal beneficiada a la industria textil. Sin embargo, una gran cantidad de máquinas fueron producidas, las cuales ayudaron a la mejora de una gran cantidad de industrias.

Una de estas fue la industria de la metalurgia. Los combustibles orgánicos pasaron a ser sustituidos por combustibles fósiles. Esto permitió que las impuridades de los minerales no se transfiriesen al metal, lo que mejoraba la calidad de los productos.

La creación de la máquina de vapor también permitió que la actividad minera tuviese un gran auge de productividad. Las minas comenzaron a ser mucho más profundas, lo que permitía la extracción de muchos más minerales.

Además, surgieron nuevas maquinarias capaces de colaborar en la producción de químicos. Esto permitió que se crearan nuevos productos a gran escala.

Segunda Revolución Industrial (1870-1914)

The two most significant elements of the second stage of the Industrial Revolution were oil and electricity.

By the end of the 20th century, it was much easier to obtain petroleum derivatives than it was in the past. This meant that coal was not needed as much, as it did during the first stage of the revolution. The potential for industrialization was much greater as a consequence of this change.

Petroleum fuel sources and the application of electrical energy helped to automate a large number of industries, which lowered labor costs in countries capable of obtaining these technologies.

The steam engine was soon replaced by new electric motors, which worked much faster than their counterparts.

The use of electricity was facilitated by the creation of three types of machinery: the first were turbines, which were capable of generating electrical energy. The second was the electric accumulators, which allowed electricity to be transported. The third was engines, capable of converting it into productive energy for machines.

Cement

During this stage, a new type of cement was also started to be manufactured, which used iron to become a much more solid tool in terms of construction. This increased the efficiency of engineering and allowed for the creation of much more durable buildings.

Technological changes

In this way, it was possible to supply food to a greater number of people living in other areas where agriculture was not practiced.

Economic changes that resulted in a broader distribution of wealth

Land ceased to be the greatest source of wealth as industrial production acquired greater value. This is how the foundations are laid for stronger and more stable international trade.

Political changes reflected in the change in the orientation of economic powers

New state political strategies were implemented in the most industrialized countries in order to encourage the existence of productive societies and satisfy the needs of emerging industries.

Changes in social class

They were overwhelming, highlighting the growth of cities, the development of working-class movements, and the emergence of new patterns and models of authority.

Cultural transformations of a broader order

This is how workers acquired distinctive new skills, and how they related to their tasks changed.

Now, instead of being artisans working with hand tools, they became machine operators subject to the rules and discipline of the factories.

Impact on commerce and communications

Improvements in business income were clearly marked shortly after the start of the Industrial Revolution. The first country to benefit from the new technologies was England, as the Revolution began there.

In fact, it is considered that London became the financial capital of the planet, after the improvement in the amount of exports that came as a result of the new machinery. Common people managed to buy more land, thanks to the country's new monetary capacity.

Improvements in communication came from the hand of a new postal system, which developed in various parts of the world, but particularly in London. The city, in the mid-nineteenth century, reduced the costs of using the postal system, which made thousands of people have access to this service.

In addition, the development of new technologies such as the telegraph, allowed innovating the way in which people communicated at a distance. Mass communications did not emerge until after the end of the second stage of the Industrial Revolution, with the invention of radio in the second decade of the 20th century.

Causes and consequences

Go to main article: Causes and consequences of the Industrial Revolution.

Inventions

Inventions of the First Industrial Revolution.

Inventions of the Second Industrial Revolution.

Mexico and Spain

Industrial Revolution in Mexico.

Industrial Revolution in Spain.

References

1. Four phases of industrial revolution, J. Sharman in the NBS, 2017. Taken from thenbs.com
2. The Industrial Revolution, M. White in the British Library, 2009. Taken from bl.uk
3. The Industrial Revolution Begins in England (1760-1850), Interactive Textbook of Modern World History, (nd). Taken from bcp.org
4. History of Europe: The Industrial Revolution, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2016. Taken from Britannica.com
5. Industrial Revolution, New World Encyclopedia, (nd). Taken from newworldencyclopedia.org
6. Industrial Revolution, Investopedia, (nd). Taken from investopedia.com
7. (2014). KS3 Bitesize. Obtained from An 'Industrial Revolution': bbc.co.uk.
8. Britannica, TE (May 2, 2017). Encyclopædia Britannica. Obtained from Industrial Revolution: britannica.com.
9. Deane, PM (2000). The First Industrial Revolution. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
10. Goloboy, JL (2008). Industrial Revolution: People and Perspectives. Santa Barbara: ABC Clio.
11. Hackett, L. (1992). World History Center. Obtained from Industrial Revolution: history-world.org.
12. McNeese, T. (2000). The Industrial Revolution. Dayton: Milliken Publishing Group.
13. Museum, T. o. (2017). British Museum. Retrieved from The Industrial Revolution and the changing: britishmuseum.org.