What was it?The Industrial Revolution was a time period lasting from 1750-1850. During these years, society went through many changes. During the Industrial Revolution, production changed from small home businesses to large factory-style production. This meant that many more things were able to be mass produced. During the Industrial Revolution, production also began to become mechanized. Many machines and contraptions were build with the purpose to be able to produce thing faster and more efficiently than humans.
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What Started It? |
The Industrial Revolution was started with the invention of the steam engine. The steam engine "blew up" and people began to find many uses for it such as steam trains and steam boats. The most important use of the steam engine was to pump water out of the coal mines. Since Britain had a large supply of coal, they used the steam engine to be able to recover coal that was before impossible to mine. This caused a large increase in supply of coal and ultimately lowered the selling price. With coal becoming even more popular, Thomas Savery invented the first coal engine; an even more efficient engine than its steam counterpart. With the coal engine becoming increasingly popular, the Industrial Revolution was well on its way.
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What Changed? |
Before the Industrial Revolution, many businesses were small and family-run. These were usually poor and very inefficient. typically, the men worked on the fields and sold whatever crops they harvested. Women usually stayed indoors and made things such as clothes and candles. After the Industrial Revolution, most people worked in factories. This allowed people to specialize in specific things. This made the production process a lot more efficient.
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