The Industrial Revolution

Abstract This chapter analyses the Industrial Revolution (1760–1850) as the foundation of sustained economic growth driven by technological innovation. It explains how Britain’s political stability, scientific culture, and unique high-wage, cheap-energy economy makes invention and mechanization profitable. The chapter highlights advance in cotton industry, from Hargreaves’ spinning jenny to Arkwright’s mills, and the transformative use of steam engines by Newcomen and Watt.

It shows how industrialization reshapes transport through railways and steamships, spreading technology globally. Finally, the chapter demonstrates that the Industrial Revolution inaugurates continuous innovation and fossil-fuel dependence, reshaping economies, societies, and the global environment.