Industrial Revolution Begins
One man draws out the wire, another straightens it, a third cuts it,
a fourth points it, a fifth grinds it at the top for receiving the
head; . . . and the important business of making a pin is, in
this manner, divided into about eighteen distinct operations.
—Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations (1776)
Learning Objectives
- D: Explain how environmental factors contributed to industrialization from 1750 to 1900.
In addition to new ideas, new technologies were reshaping societies.
These technologies led to a dramatic change in society and economies. This change was so dramatic that it is called the Industrial Revolution. The rigid structure of early factory work described by Adam Smith, Scottish economist and philosopher, is one of the most enduring images of the Industrial Revolution. Industrialization, the increased mechanization of production, and the social changes that accompanied this shift, had their roots in several influences. Among these were the Columbian Exchange and rise of maritime trading empires, increased agricultural productivity, and greater individual accumulation of capital. As the Industrial Revolution spread from Great Britain to Europe and North America, and then to the world, it reshaped society, increasing world population, shifting people from farm to city, and expanding the production and consumption of goods.
Sections
Agricultural Improvements
Preindustrial Societies
Growth of Technology
Britain’s Industrial Advantages
Think As a Historian: THINK AS A HISTORIAN: EXPLAIN THE PROCESS Of INDUSTRIALIZATION
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Reflect
REFLECT ON THE TOPIC ESSENTIAL QUESTION
1. In one to three paragraphs, explain what factors contributed to and characterized industrialization in the period from 1750 to 1900.
AP Exam Practice
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