Skip to Main Content

Humanities: The Industrial Revolution

Header

T H E   I N D U S T R I A L   R E V O L U T I O N

Introduction

The Industrial Revolution caused a huge change in the way people lived and worked. It began in England in the middle of the 18th century and spread to the rest of Europe and the United States in the early 19th century. This era changed the way people worked and lived. New machines were invented and a large part of the population moved from the countryside to urban areas.

Crash Course - Industrial Revolution

Turning Points in History - Industrial Revolution

Clickview

Use your GLC email address and password to login

Click on the logo for a playlist of programs about the Industrial Revolution

Website suggestions

Famous People

Isambard Kingdom Brunel, son of the distinguished engineer Sir Marc Isambard Brunel, was both an extravagant and prolific engineer in his own right. By the time of his death at the age of 53, he had overseen the construction of 25 railway lines, hundreds of bridges including five suspension bridges, eight pier and dock systems, three major ships, and a prefabricated hospital.
American Society of Civil Engineers

Cross-Section Diagrams of the Thames Tunnel

Plans for the Thames Tunnel

Since the early 18th century, manufacturers had been looking for inventive ways to meet the ever-growing demand for cotton cloth and yarn. Finally, in 1767, a breakthrough came when a Lancashire entrepreneur, Richard Arkwright (1732–92), devised a simple but remarkable spinning machine. 

Science and Industry Museum