Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution was a period of major economic, technological, and social change that began in Great Britain in the 18th century.

The Industrial Revolution was a period of major economic, technological, and social change that began in Great Britain in the 18th century. It marked the transition from agrarian and handicraft production to industry and machine manufacturing, and it later spread to Europe, North America, and other parts of the world. These changes eventually shaped industrial development in Canada.

Origins

Most historians place the origins of the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain during the middle decades of the 18th century. Britain remained the main centre of early industrialization until roughly the 1830s, after which industrialization spread more widely.

Technological change

The period featured machines replacing hand tools, the use of steam and later other power sources, and the development of factories. New materials and processes, especially in iron and steel and in textile production, were central to industrial growth.

Social and economic impact

Industrialization reshaped work, cities, transport, and family life. It increased output and productivity, but it also brought difficult working conditions and major social change.

Spread and periodization

From Britain, industrialization spread to continental Europe, North America, and beyond. Historians commonly distinguish an early or First Industrial Revolution from a later Second Industrial Revolution associated with steel, electricity, chemicals, and mass production. Industrialization later shaped Canadian manufacturing, urban growth, transportation, and labour patterns, especially in the 19th and early 20th centuries, as the industrial economy spread from Britain to North America.