Definition
Industrialization is the process by which a society shifts from an economy based mainly on agriculture and small-scale handcraft to one centered on mechanized factory production. It began in Britain in the late eighteenth century and spread, unevenly, across the world over the following two centuries.
The transformation involved new energy sources — first water and coal-fired steam, later electricity and oil — combined with mechanized tools, the factory system, and the organization of large workforces around powered machinery.
Why it matters
How it works
Industrialization links several reinforcing changes. New machines and energy sources sharply raised the output per worker. Concentrating production in factories allowed division of labor and tighter coordination. Cities swelled as people moved from farms to wage work, and transport networks — canals, railways, steamships — carried raw materials in and finished goods out. The result was a self-reinforcing cycle of investment, productivity, and growth. It also generated new strains: harsh working conditions, environmental damage, and sharp inequality, which in turn drove demands for reform.