¶ … Economics/Politics
Portfolio on Various Economic and Political Concepts
The Industrial Revolution
What was Changed by the Industrial Revolution
How the Revolution Changed the Economy
Examples from Past and Present (1900's & today)
The Industrial Revolution, a multi-decade event that took place in the 19th century (1820-approx. 1870), completely transformed the way goods were produced across two continents. Prior to its start, which took place in the UK, and its continuation, especially focused in Germany and the U.S., most goods were produced by hand, at home.
The revolution, however, mechanized production processes and introduced machines and factories that, inevitably, improved and increased production. Yet this could not have been achieved without various inventions, such as the cotton gin and other weaving machines, or water powered machines (i.e. trains), many of which propelled countries, and especially the American economy, forward in a unique and successful way.
Prior to the Industrial Revolution, American society in particular was very pastoral, and very much home based. Even in big cities, where trade was often omnipresent through the comings and goings of ships, there were many inefficiencies, and business was almost always conducted from a local perspective, with a handful of employees.
Once the revolution took place and introduced machines and other mechanized processes, businessmen had not only better products to sell, especially in the manufacturing industry, but also products that were more easily produced by a larger workforce, and which could be more easily carried across a country such as the U.S. Or traded between countries. It was because of this singular event in human history that countries such as the U.S., UK and Germany are the forefront runners of the world economy today.
An example of how the revolution changed the processes of the past, especially in the 1900's, can be seen by its mechanization of the manufacturing process, especially in relation to clothing and, later, automobiles. It was because of the Industrial Revolution that the latter facet especially was introduced, evolved, and aids life in so many...
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