As machines took over, people’s roles shifted at home, at work, and in society. Industrialization opened doors for some and closed them for others—and forced new questions about fairness and freedom.

Capitalism created new wealth and new struggles. Competing economic ideas offered different answers to the question of who should benefit from labor, and why it matters.

Factories didn’t just divide jobs, they divided people. As labor became more specialized, the gap between the workers and those with power became wider and harder to cross.

Even as liberty became a global ideal, slavery remained a global reality. Resistance came from enslaved people, activists, and communities who refused to accept the system. And even with the eventual end of slavery, the fight for equality was far from over.

Child labor became part of industrial life. Children worked long hours in dangerous jobs, and their stories helped spark a movement to rethink labor, rights, and the meaning of childhood.

Women weren’t just living through the changes of the industrial era—they were pushing change forward. Around the world, communities of women challenged injustice in their personal lives and in the public sphere.