Turning Points in History - Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution

At the end of the 18th century, most people worked on land owned by aristocrats, within a longstanding social system built around landowners and their workers.

A wave of inventions in England and the United States transformed work and daily life. Machines harnessed water, steam, and coal, replacing hand tools and making it possible to produce goods more quickly and cheaply. Mechanization began in England’s textile factories; one machine, according to the subtitles, did the work of 50 people. Production increasingly moved from homes and workshops into purpose-built factories.

Greater production and improved transportation—including locomotives and steamships—made goods easier to move and sell around the world. Fuel, clothing, and food became more affordable.

As industrial cities grew, families left ancestral villages in search of work. Factory owners, or industrialists, gained substantial profits, while a new class of industrial workers emerged.

The changes also brought serious costs. Coal pollution darkened cities, housing shortages created slums, and the drive for production and profit led to worker exploitation, including child labor. An account from a 10-year-old factory worker in the 1830s describes earning $2 a week and working from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., with half-hour breaks for breakfast and lunch.

Public outrage over child labor and harsh working conditions led workers and reformers to protest, form unions and associations, and press governments to limit working hours and protect children. The resulting laws addressed many abuses.

The video compares the Industrial Revolution with today’s technological revolution. Global communication and the ability to work from almost anywhere are reshaping life again, though the eventual consequences remain uncertain.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Narrator: Presents the history and consequences of the Industrial Revolution and compares it with the current technological revolution.
• Unnamed 10-year-old factory worker: Describes her pay and working hours in a factory in the 1830s.