19th Century Europe

The Industrial Revolution began in England in the 1780s. Improvements in British agricultural production began to produce an agricultural surplus that developed a growing demand for manufactured goods. British manufacturers introduced innovations that became the basis of the industrial Revolution to keep up with demand. The first significant innovation was the flying shuttle, which made weaving faster. One invention followed another, but the most important one was the steam engine. The steam engine transformed both manufacturing and transportation. It was the first human invention that radically changed and extended human power. The steam engine brought about a significant transformation in manufacturing. Suddenly factory owners had expensive machines that they wished to put to use all the time. Thus they were forced to recruit large numbers of workers to work regular long hours in shifts. Industrialization transformed England into the wealthiest nation in the world. The industrial Revolution spread slowly throughout Europe. It also took place in the United States. For the United States, the steam engine that made the railroad possible allowed the United States to develop rapidly as one nation.