The Industrial Revolution began in England in the middle of the 18th century and spread to the rest of Europe and the United States in the early 19 th century. This era changed the way people worked and lived. New machines were invented and a large part of the population moved from the countryside to urban areas.
Click on this website to give you an easy to understand overview of the Industrial Revolution.
The History Teacher's Association of Australia's website examines in particular the effects of Industrialisation on work, society, politics and the environment.
This History Channel video describes a new world order as a result of the rise of the machines created during this Revolution.
BBC History : Victorians Includes technology and innovation, daily life in Victorian England and welfare and health.
Crime and Punishment An excellent source of information on Crime and Punishment during the Industrial Revolution.
The ecological impact of the Industrial Revolution Includes information on population growth and use of resources.
Effects of the Industrial Revolution How did the Industrial Revolution change: Working and Living Conditions, Urbanization, Public Health, Life Expectancy, Child Labor, Working Class Families and the Role of Women, The Emerging Middle Class, Wealth and Income.
Factory Acts The Factory Acts were a series of Acts passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom to limit the number of hours worked by women and children, first in the textile industry, then later in all industries.
The Industrial Revolution This site gives information about events leading up to the Industrial Revolution, as well as information about how it spread to the USA.
Industrialisation This link is to the British Library which gives an overview of Early History, Steam and Coal, Factories and Transport.
Victorian Britain Includes information on a wide range of topics including the railways, working conditions for miners, diseases, treatment of the poor, crime and punishment and the status of men and women in the Industrial Revolution.
The Victorians Discover Victorian life through the posters, pamphlets, diaries, newspapers, political reports and illustrations that the 19th century left behind.
The Workshop of the World This site looks at the forces that made Britain the workshop of the world during the Industrial Revolution and explains why this industrial dominance lasted such a short time.