Chapter 7-1: Dawn of the Industrial Age

What Changed – Industrially and Economically:

• • The invention of steam power, which was used to power factories and transport and allowed for deeper mining.

  • Improvement of iron making techniques allowing for vastly higher production levels.

  • The textile industry was transformed by new machines – such as the Spinning Jenny - and factories, again allowing for much higher production at a lower cost.

  • Better machine tools allowed for more and better machines.

  • Developments in metallurgy and chemical production.

  • Creation of new and quicker transport networks thanks to first canals and then railways.

  • The banking industry developed to meet the needs of entrepreneurs.

  • The use of coal, and coal production, soared. More on coal.