The Industrial Revolution
Details
The Industrial Revolution began in the United Kingdom in the late 18th century. Its attainment of critical mass in England and southern Scotland followed the development of crucial infrastructure such as roads and canals, and a sharp increase in agricultural production (accompanied by the second wave of enclosures). Inventions such as Richard Arkwright's water frame and James Watt's improved steam engine facilitated a production boom in areas such as textiles and steel, fuelled by coal and water power. (Belgium would be similarly transformed in the early 19th century.)
The second wave followed in the late 19th century, marked by developments such as electricity and new chemical production. Germany was at the forefront, along with France and Italy, and the United States across the ocean. Russia, suffering from an infrastructure gap, would require another generation for similar changes to begin.
The transformation from agricultural to industrial economies was accompanied by profound social changes. Over a single lifetime British society changed from one dominated by social rank to one more class-oriented: a blue-collar proletariat and a middle class were emerging there and elsewhere. Early industrial societies were marked by growing financial inequality, and tensions grew, leading to strikes and revolutionary movements. (These tensions would explode in the 20th century, resulting in devastating wars and revolutions.)
The Industrial Revolution started in the Western world, but it didn't stay there. Japan in the Meiji Era brought it to Asia, and many underdeveloped societies would begin the transformation in the 20th century. In recent decades, China and India's dramatic industrialization has altered the balance of world power. Much of the Third World is still agricultural, but today change is happening in most places.
For background reading, you can try Robert C. Allen's The Industrial Revolution: A Very Short Introduction.
A monthly online discussion on a historical subject.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6710320312