Industrial Revolution in the World

The Industrial Revolution transformed the world. In this course we will examine the history of the Industrial Revolution in global context. From its origins in 18th c. cotton textile production in India and Britain to the coal powered steam engines that drove production in metalworks, pottery, laundries, car factories and erased time and space in railroads and steam ships, the industrial revolution transformed the way people worked, ate, lived, and related to each other and to the material world. The unprecedented productive power it unleashed drew global markets together in new ways and re-structured them. The course will focus on six themes: production, free and unfree labor, families, global markets, economic thinking and the environment.