Industrial Revolution
For millennia, civilization ran on the same sources of energy: sunlight, animal power, wind, and water. In the mid-eighteenth century, however, humankind discovered a new source of energy in fossil fuels. The resulting Industrial Revolution transformed every aspect of human societies and reshaped life on Earth. How did industrialization begin? How did it spread? And how has it changed our world?
Featured Materials
Origins of the Industrial Revolution
Video
Origins of the Industrial Revolution
During the long nineteenth century, Britain had several advantages that allowed it to industrialize first. What were they? Travel to England to mine for answers.
The Global Transformations of the Industrial Revolution
Article
The Global Transformations of the Industrial Revolution
Consider the effects of industrialization in England by looking at three case studies on trade goods—sugar, wheat, and copper—and their impact on industrialization around the world.
Ottilie Baader
Graphic Biographies
Ottilie Baader
Ottilie Baader became a leader of the German labor reform movement, but she also lived a life of work, not unlike many industrial workers of her time.
Lessons
Lesson 6.3
Industrial Revolution
Fossil fuels were the key to unlocking a huge amount of energy. Using these fuels has led to increases in population and innovation, but they’ve also caused pollution and climate change.
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Lesson 5.2
Origins of Industrialization
For millions of years, immense coal deposits slept underground, holding the secret to one of the great technological revolutions in human history. In eighteenth-century Britain, that secret was brought to light.
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Lesson 5.4
Industrialization in Egypt and Japan
What happens when industrialization goes global? We’ll look at how Japan confronted this reality, and compare that country’s experience to Egypt’s. Why was Japan able to industrialize so quickly while Egypt’s Industrial Revolution was cut short?
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Materials
Urbanization Game Narratives
Video
Urbanization Game Narratives
Life changed pretty quickly once industrialization kicked off. See if you can keep up with all the changes!
Causation: Industrialization
Activity
Causation: Industrialization
What were the causes and effects of industrialization? Use your causation skills to determine why industrialization began in Europe.
Geography: Industrialization Mystery
Activity
Geography: Industrialization Mystery
What were the ingredients and Goldilocks Conditions for industrialization? Time to use your geographic detective skills to decide why industrialization began in one place but not the other.
Coal Miners
Video
Coal Miners
What was life like for the coal miners who fueled Britain’s industrialization? Men, women, and children lived, worked, and died in industrial England’s hazardous mines.
Igniting Industry
Activity
Igniting Industry
See if this analogy about fire and industry sparks any new ideas in your mind, fueling your understanding of the Industrial Revolution.
Iwasaki Yatarō
Graphic Biographies
Iwasaki Yatarō
A low-ranking samurai by birth, Iwasaki Yatarō seized the opportunities of industrialization to create the Mitsubishi company and to help industrialize the city of Nagasaki.