UPSC History Preparation: Industrial Revolution (Part 1)

The Industrial Revolution took place between the 18th and 19th centuries during which the agrarian and rural areas of Europe transformed into industrial and urban regions. Iron industries, textile industries and the development of the steam engine played a significant role in the Industrial Revolution. These innovations contributed to the development of transportation, communication and banking. The Industrial Revolution had its own pros and cons: for some, it meant increased manufacture of goods and better standard of living whereas for others, it meant unemployment especially for the rural poor and the working class.

It is essential to know that it was from Britain that the Industrial Revolution originated. Britain had great deposits of iron ore and coal, it was a stable society in terms of politics and being a colonial power, it had many opportunities to extract raw materials from its colonies. Britain’s colonies also acted as potential marketplaces for the manufactured goods. Increase in the demand for British goods lead to the development cost-effective methods of production which included the factory system and process of mechanisation.

The Industrial Revolution spread across various countries in the world namely Belgium, France, United States and Germany. The U.S was the leading industrial nation-state during the early 20th century. The ideology of 'Laissez Faire' based on Adam Smith’s “Wealth of the Nations” was formulated by industrialists and was later worked on by David Ricardo and Robert Malthus. Watch the video below to learn more interesting facts about the Industrial Revolution.

In the video below, Dr. Roman Saini deals with one of the important events in World History: The Industrial Revolution.  Dr. Roman gives an introduction and explains the reasons  while discussing the salient features of the Industrial Revolution: England was the epicentre, Scientific development, Commericialisation of agriculture, Development of infrastructure. Various industries which were developed have also been discussed. There is also an evaluation of the Industrial Revolution and focus on key points such as neo-capitalism, boost to nationalism, social development, luddite development. The role of Industrial Revolution has also been explored as the foundation of the modern world in the video. Do watch Part 2.2 of the Industrial Revolution video. 

  

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