Chapter 18 Industrial Revolution in the West: 1700-1914

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the development of new technologies produced what we know today as the Industrial Revolution. As mechanical power replaced muscle power as the primary energy source in society for the first time, a new way of life began to emerge in Western Europe that would eventually spread to the rest of the world. It was the beginning of a material revolution that continues to the present day.

TIME LINE

1700s           Darbys innovate inexpensive iron

1769            James Watt creates efficient steam engine

1830            First railroad opens between Liverpool and Manchester                       

1856            Henry Bessemer innovates new steel process           

1882            Thomas Edison introduces centrally distributed electric power           

1908      Henry Ford innovates affordable motor vehicle