Spread of the Industrial Revolution

Introduction

• Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain
• Rapid global spread due to new technology
• Key technology: Steam engine (converted fossil fuel to mechanical energy)
• Factories no longer needed water power, could be built anywhere
• Steam engines in ships allowed mass-produced goods to be transported further and faster
• Connected the world into a growing global economy

Factors Affecting Industrialization

• Different rates of industrialization in various regions
• Factors from previous video: waterways, coal, favorable government policies
• Quick adopters had many/all factors, slow adopters had few/none
• Example: Eastern and Southern Europe lacked coal deposits, were landlocked, or had powerful groups resistant to change

Global Economic Shifts

• Industrialized nations (e.g., Great Britain, France, USA) grew their share of global manufacturing and economic wealth
• Non-industrialized nations saw declines (e.g., textile production in India and Egypt, shipbuilding in India and Southeast Asia)
• Industrial countries expanded power, non-industrial countries did not

Case Studies in Industrialization

France

• Industrialization began post-1815 (post-Napoleon era)
• Slower industrialization due to lack of coal and iron deposits
• Napoleon’s construction of Quenton Canal laid foundation
• Government construction of railroads, textile factories by 1830s
• Slower pace spared France from intense social upheaval

United States

• Post-Civil War rapid industrialization
• Large territory with natural resources, political stability
• Rapid population growth (natural and migration)
• Expanding market for mass-produced goods
• Higher standard of living compared to Europe

Russia

• Late 19th-century industrialization under czarist absolutist regime
• Top-down approach to industrialization
• Construction of Trans-Siberian Railroad, increased trade with China
• Brutal conditions for workers led to uprisings, Russian Revolution of 1905
• Industrialization state-driven in response to lagging behind Western Europe

Japan

• Defensive industrialization during Meiji Restoration
• Borrowed Western technology and education
• Quickly became an industrial power
• Became most powerful Eastern state within a few decades

Conclusion

• Industrial Revolution caused significant global changes
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