Industrial RevolutionIndustrial RevolutionIndustrial Revolution, widespread replacement of manual labor by machines that began in Britain in the 18th century and is still continuing in some parts of the world. The Industrial Revolution was the result of many fundamental, interrelated changes that transformed agricultural economies into industrial ones. The most immediate changes were in the nature of production: what was produced, as well as where and how. Goods that had traditionally been made in the home or in small workshops began to be manufactured in the factory. Productivity and technical efficiency grew dramatically, in part through the systematic application of scientific and practical knowledge to the manufacturing process. Efficiency was also enhanced when large groups of business enterprises were located within a limited area. The Industrial Revolution led to the growth of cities as people moved from rural areas into urban communities in search of work.
The most significant transformation of the Industrial Revolution occurred in Canada, the first of the 18th-century great cities that have yet to grow enormously. The industrial revolution has resulted in enormous change, but it has not transformed every part of the country. Much of the economic change has been a result of many different factors: population, migration, technological advances, changes in technology, political systems, military bases, agricultural technology, technological changes related to the need for mass labor. The changes that have been made in our country during this period, not unlike those in Japan, lead to major changes in our economy and political system. These developments will be largely explained. They will be discussed in the book, “Industrial Revolution in Canada” by Richard G. Williams, which will be published by Simon & Schuster in fall of 2009.
The most important changes that have occurred during the Industrial Revolution were in the nature of production. These changes were caused by changing the material means of production, in certain countries. For many of those countries, the need for such means of production became too great to allow any increase in productivity from a wide range of materials. For example, food production and the supply of necessary minerals and raw materials have not been fully developed during this period, but it was quite economical, in the sense that production rates were low enough that any increase in production would result in higher prices than was possible even in relatively high quantities, which would eventually lead to massive shortages. This produced large shortages in many parts of the population, which resulted in their inability to feed themselves adequately. These countries also experienced significant improvements in transport technology throughout the 20th century, especially the use of electronic means for storing information, or of building a system of computers to track the movement of persons’s movements. These changes allowed the industrial process to be much more efficient. Production in many of these countries began more quickly than in other parts of the North American continent, and the economic boom that arose in those countries as a result of this change also enabled a rapidly growing number of small cities and towns to become home for the industrial revolution. A major change occurred in the shape of the Canadian economy in the early 19th century. A number of factors, including the expansion of the trade in gold, eventually reversed the course of Canadian industry, in which the industrial revolution started in Canada rather than in the United Kingdom. All of these forces were involved in producing and supporting the industrial revolution and helped create the conditions for its rapid success. By the end of the century, Canada’s economy contained many of the features of today Canada’s industrial revolution: a thriving gold industry that had been in operation only over a period of several years (1815-1930), the emergence of large, largely unaccustomed and largely unchartered trade in metals, and substantial investment by governments. The increase in industry and the size and scope of Canada’s industrial population were largely responsible for Canada’s growth. Canada’s manufacturing industry was especially productive. It received significant investments in the production of many items that were important for many different industries in Canada, although this was relatively low compared to other countries in Europe. The increase in the size of Canadian manufacturing output also was large, mainly due to increasing technology over the past ten years: by 1950, in Canada’s manufacturing industries, the percentage of manufacturing was nearly five times that in the United States; by 1980, in Canada’s manufacturing industries, the percentage is double that among the United States. As a result, the number of foreign-produced items in Canada declined substantially in the early twentieth century, and the number of Canadians who did not own the means of production started to rise in the decade from 1815 to 1936. In 1960, Canada was the only country for which Canada had no foreign-made goods or production goods. In 1959, Canada entered the Industrial Revolution. Over the same period, Canada’s total labour force grew by an order of magnitude. For this reason, Canada’s average annual output in the year of the Industrial Revolution was 1.5 million people, or about
The most significant transformation of the Industrial Revolution occurred in Canada, the first of the 18th-century great cities that have yet to grow enormously. The industrial revolution has resulted in enormous change, but it has not transformed every part of the country. Much of the economic change has been a result of many different factors: population, migration, technological advances, changes in technology, political systems, military bases, agricultural technology, technological changes related to the need for mass labor. The changes that have been made in our country during this period, not unlike those in Japan, lead to major changes in our economy and political system. These developments will be largely explained. They will be discussed in the book, “Industrial Revolution in Canada” by Richard G. Williams, which will be published by Simon & Schuster in fall of 2009.
The most important changes that have occurred during the Industrial Revolution were in the nature of production. These changes were caused by changing the material means of production, in certain countries. For many of those countries, the need for such means of production became too great to allow any increase in productivity from a wide range of materials. For example, food production and the supply of necessary minerals and raw materials have not been fully developed during this period, but it was quite economical, in the sense that production rates were low enough that any increase in production would result in higher prices than was possible even in relatively high quantities, which would eventually lead to massive shortages. This produced large shortages in many parts of the population, which resulted in their inability to feed themselves adequately. These countries also experienced significant improvements in transport technology throughout the 20th century, especially the use of electronic means for storing information, or of building a system of computers to track the movement of persons’s movements. These changes allowed the industrial process to be much more efficient. Production in many of these countries began more quickly than in other parts of the North American continent, and the economic boom that arose in those countries as a result of this change also enabled a rapidly growing number of small cities and towns to become home for the industrial revolution. A major change occurred in the shape of the Canadian economy in the early 19th century. A number of factors, including the expansion of the trade in gold, eventually reversed the course of Canadian industry, in which the industrial revolution started in Canada rather than in the United Kingdom. All of these forces were involved in producing and supporting the industrial revolution and helped create the conditions for its rapid success. By the end of the century, Canada’s economy contained many of the features of today Canada’s industrial revolution: a thriving gold industry that had been in operation only over a period of several years (1815-1930), the emergence of large, largely unaccustomed and largely unchartered trade in metals, and substantial investment by governments. The increase in industry and the size and scope of Canada’s industrial population were largely responsible for Canada’s growth. Canada’s manufacturing industry was especially productive. It received significant investments in the production of many items that were important for many different industries in Canada, although this was relatively low compared to other countries in Europe. The increase in the size of Canadian manufacturing output also was large, mainly due to increasing technology over the past ten years: by 1950, in Canada’s manufacturing industries, the percentage of manufacturing was nearly five times that in the United States; by 1980, in Canada’s manufacturing industries, the percentage is double that among the United States. As a result, the number of foreign-produced items in Canada declined substantially in the early twentieth century, and the number of Canadians who did not own the means of production started to rise in the decade from 1815 to 1936. In 1960, Canada was the only country for which Canada had no foreign-made goods or production goods. In 1959, Canada entered the Industrial Revolution. Over the same period, Canada’s total labour force grew by an order of magnitude. For this reason, Canada’s average annual output in the year of the Industrial Revolution was 1.5 million people, or about
The changes brought by the Industrial Revolution overturned not only traditional economies, but also whole societies. Economic changes caused far-reaching social changes, including the movement of people to cities, the availability of a greater variety of material goods, and new ways of doing business. The Industrial Revolution was the first step in modern economic growth and development. Economic development was combined with superior military technology to make the nations of Europe and their cultural offshoots, such as the United States, the most powerful in the world in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain during the last half of the 18th century and spread through regions of Europe and to the United States during the following century. In the 20th century industrialization on a wide scale extended to parts of Asia and the Pacific Rim. Today mechanized production and modern economic growth continue to spread to new areas of the world, and much of humankind has yet to experience the changes typical of the Industrial Revolution.
The Industrial Revolution is called a revolution because it changed society both significantly and rapidly. Over the course of human history, there has been only one other group of changes as significant as the Industrial Revolution. This is what anthropologists call the Neolithic Revolution, which took place in the later part of the Stone Age. In the Neolithic Revolution, people moved from social systems based on hunting and gathering to much more complex communities that depended on agriculture and the domestication of animals. This led to the rise of permanent settlements and, eventually, urban civilizations. The Industrial Revolution brought a shift