Gavin Weightman shows how, in less than one hundred and fifty years, an unlikely band of scientists, spies, entrepreneurs, and political refugees took a world made of wood, powered by animals, wind, and water, and made it into something entirely new, forged of steel and iron, and powered by steam and fossil fuels. --from publisher description.
This is an introduction to the Industrial Revolution which offers an integrated account of the economic and social aspects of change during the period. Recent revisionist thinking has implied that fundamental change in economic, social and political life at the time of the Industrial Revolution was minimal or non-existent. The author challenges this interpretation, arguing that the process of revision has gone too far; emphasizing continuity at the expense of change and neglecting many historically unique features of the economy and society. Elements given short shrift in many current interpretations are reassigned their central roles.
"Weightman expertly marshals his cast of characters across continents and centuries, forging a genuinely global history that brings the collaborative, if competitive, business of industrial innovation to life."---The New York Times Book Review In less than one hundred and fifty years, an unlikely band of scientists, spies, entrepreneurs, and political refugees took a world made of wood and powered by animals, wind, and water, and made it into something entirely new, forged of steel and iron, and powered by steam and fossil fuels. In The Industrial Revolutionaries, a sweeping, critically acclaimed history of this transformation, Gavin Weightman weaves together the dramatic stories of giants such as Edison, Watt, Wedgwood, and Daimler, with lesser-known or entirely forgotten characters. Distilling complex technical achievements, outlandish figures, and daring adventure, The Industrial Revolutionaries is a remarkable, original history of a changing world. "Integrating lively biography with technological clarity, Weightman converts the Industrial Revolution into an enjoyable readable period of history."---Booklist
This volume discusses the history of the industrial revolution. Readers will learn about its influence on the economic, social, and entrepreneurial forces of the United States.
"The Industrial Revolution: Forging a New World" by Asif Ahmed Srabon is a captivating exploration of the transformative era that reshaped societies and economies. This insightful book delves into the technological innovations, societal changes, and economic shifts that defined the Industrial Revolution. With engaging narratives and historical context, it paints a vivid picture of this pivotal period in human history, shedding light on the forces that propelled us into the modern age.
Once the Industrial Revolution made it to the United States, the workforce changed forever. Not only that, family life, childhood, and the economy changed, too! A complex topic with many facets, the Industrial Revolution is covered in clear, accessible language in this book. Written with social studies curricula in mind, the main content includes age-appropriate detail, such as important dates, people, and vocabulary readers will likely need in the classroom. Struggling readers and those in need of review need look no further than this volume to enhance or refresh their knowledge of this key time period in U.S. history.
This concise guide zooms in on the period of American history known as the Industrial Revolution, from its earliest beginnings in the mid-18th century to just after the First World War. This book is a concise reference source on the era in American history known as the Industrial Revolution—a period characterized by urbanization, mass immigration, organization of labor, and an immense gap between wealthy industrialists and the poor. It serves as an ideal resource for students preparing to take the AP U.S. history exam as well as being useful to undergraduates and anyone interested in this important period. Using encyclopedic entries on important events, key people, and trends of the time, the era is examined through the exploration of key themes such as agriculture, business, economy, finance, labor, and politics. Other features of the book include sample documents-based essay questions, rigorous thematic tagging of encyclopedic entries, a detailed chronology, and primary source documents—all of which guide readers through the material and aid in their comprehension of the Industrial Revolution's historical significance. Content covers factories, mass production, the progressive movement, muckrakers, populists, laissez-faire economics, social Darwinism, and robber barons, among other topics.
This three-volume set concludes ABC-CLIO's groundbreaking series on the Industrial Revolution as it played out in the United States, offering volumes on the communications industry and the agriculture and meatpacking industries—plus a concluding overview volume on the causes, courses, and interconnections among the industries that brought such dramatic change to our lives. The concluding three-volume set in ABC-CLIO's landmark Industrial Revolution in America series offers vivid reminders of how this economic renaissance changed virtually every facet of American life. Communications takes readers from the telegraph to the telephone and beyond, showing how improvements in communication (aided by better transportation) helped create a truly national marketplace. Agriculture and Meatpacking details the shift of agriculture from family farms and local trade to mass production and agribusiness, sparking the development of a full range of farm machinery and spawning the rise of a new metropolis practically overnight. The concluding Overview/Comparison volume looks at the Industrial Revolution as a whole—revealing the impact of various industries on each other and gauging the revolution's broader social and political legacy in the United States and around the world.
The familiar industrialisation of northern England and less familiar de-industrialisation of the south are shown to have depended on a common process. Neither rise nor decline resulted from differences in natural resource endowments, since they began before the use of coal and steam in manufacturing. Instead, political certainty, competitive ideology and Enlightenment optimism encouraged investment in transport and communications. This integrated the national market, intensifying competition between regions and altering economic distributions. Despite a dysfunctional landed system, agricultural innovation meant that the south's comparative advantage shifted towards the farm sector. Meanwhile its manufactures slowly declined. Once industry clustered in the less-benign northern environment, technological changes in manufacturing accumulated there. This book portrays the Industrial Revolution as deriving from economic competition within unique political arrangements.