Reflections

Reflection Topic 3: did the industrial revolution affect the way people lived and worked in the 19th century for the better or the worse? Explain your answer by providing examples.

The Industrial Revolution was a major shift of technological, socioeconomic, and cultural conditions in the late 18th century and early 19th century. It began in Britain and spread throughout the world. During that time, an economy based on manual labour was replaced by one dominated by industry and the manufacture of machinery. It began with the mechanisation of the textile industries, the development of iron-making techniques and the increased use of refined coal. Trade expansion was enabled by the introduction of canals, improved roads and railways. The introduction of steampower (fuelled primarily by coal) and powered machinery (mainly in textile manufacturing) underpinned the dramatic increases in production capacity.The development of all-metal machine-tools in the first two decades of the 19th century facilitated the manufacture of more production machines for manufacturing in other industries.
The first Industrial Revolution merged into the Second industrial revolution around 1850, when technological and economic progress gained momentum with the development of steam-powered ships, railways, and later in the nineteenth century with the internal combustion engine and electrical power generation.

Provided by : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution