Home > History Fact Finder > Eras and Their Highlights - What Were The Effects Of The Industrial Revolution?

Eras and Their Highlights - What Were The Effects Of The Industrial Revolution?

What were the effects of the Industrial Revolution?

The Industrial Revolution was a period of technological development that took place in Great Britain from the mid 1700s through the mid 1800s. Eventually spreading through Europe and to the United States, the Industrial Revolution brought about economic and social changes as a result of the move from hand tools to power tools and from small-scale production to large-scale production. Prior to the 1800s, products were crafted with simple machines or by hand in small shops or in homes. The shift to manufacturing in factories caused people to leave rural areas for urban centers, eventually creating overcrowded and polluted cities. In the United States a steady influx of immigrants (people who permanently settle in a foreign country) supplied a work force for factories that sprang up in most major cities, particularly in the North, and factory owners employed men,...

[The entire page is 316 words long]

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the: