The Industrial Revolution

The shift from hand production and farming to machines, factories and fossil fuels, which began in Britain.

Background

Britain had abundant coal and iron, growing overseas trade, and a farming sector that could supply food to growing towns. Banks, patents and a culture of practical invention made it easier to develop and finance new machines.

Course of events

Mechanised spinning and weaving transformed the textile trade. Improved steam engines, associated with James Watt, powered mines, mills and later railways, and the Stockton and Darlington Railway opened in 1825. Factories gathered workers in rapidly growing industrial cities, and the new methods spread to Belgium, the United States and the German states.

Legacy

Industrialisation raised productivity and living standards over the long term but brought crowded cities, harsh working conditions and child labour. It prompted labour movements, factory legislation and new debates about wealth and inequality that continue today.