The Industrial Revolution transformed economies that had been based on agriculture and handicrafts into economies based on large-scale industry, mechanized manufacturing, and the factory system. New machines, new power sources, and new ways of organizing work made existing industries more productive and efficient.
Key features of the Industrial Revolution
- Population shift – moving from rural agriculture to work in factories in cities.
- Mass production of goods, increased efficiency, reduced average costs and enabled more to be produced.
- The rise of steam power, e.g. steam trains, railways and steam-powered machines.
