The Industrial Revolution Return to Sociology Timeline

The Industrial Revolution


The Industrial Revolution was a dramatic change in the nature of production in which machines replaced tools, steam and other energy sources replaced human or animal power, and skilled workers were replaced with mostly unskilled workers.


A key element of the Industrial Revolution was the harnessing of steam power through steam engines such as those shown here.


The Industrial Revolution resulted in work that had been performed in the home by family members, such as spinning yarn, being performed with the help of large powerful machines in factories, such as the early textile mill shown on the right.

The Industrial Revolution permitted trends begun in the domestication revolution and agricultural revolution to continue, resulting in still greater inequality, as illustrated by the picture on the left of homeless boys on the streets of London.

The Picture below, popular during the 19th Century, also illustrates the great difference in wealth and living conditions between the rich bourgeoise who owned the means of production and factory and mine workers who labored for them.

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