Industrialization
Definition
Industrialization is the process by which an economy shifts from primarily agrarian to one based on the manufacturing of goods. Individual manual labor is often replaced by mechanized mass production, and craftsmen are replaced by assembly lines.
Analogy
Think of industrialization like leveling up in a video game. You start off with basic tools and skills (agriculture), but as you progress, you unlock more advanced technology (machinery) that allows you to produce items faster and more efficiently.
Related terms
Urbanization: The process where an increasing percentage of a population lives in cities rather than rural areas. It's closely linked to industrialization as factories often lead to growing cities.
Capitalism: An economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods, investments determined by private decision, and prices, production, and distribution determined mainly by competition in a free market.
Labor Unions: Organizations formed by workers in specific industries to fight for better wages, working conditions, and job security. They became particularly important during the era of rapid industrialization.
"Industrialization" appears in:
Subjects (6)
Study guides (5)
Additional resources (2)
Practice Questions (20+)
What common theme can be identified between Bacon's Rebellion in colonial Virginia and labor strikes during Industrialization?
How did industrialization impact society during period two?
What factors contributed to the growth of industrialization in the United States during Period 4?
How did the outcome of the Seven Years' War (the French and Indian war) indirectly impact industrialization in America?
Which cultural trend emerged as a result of increasing urbanization and industrialization in late-19th-century America?
What effect did the introduction of industrialization have on work patterns in America?
Which movement was primarily caused by industrialization in the late nineteenth century?
What did Samuel Slater introduce to America that played a significant role in its industrialization during the Market revolution?
Which phenomenon can be directly linked to both Southern plantation life in the Early Republic and industrialization in Northern cities?
If Southern states had embraced industrialization as enthusiastically as Northern ones during this period, how might it have affected social hierarchies?
Which technological advancement significantly increased industrialization in the "New South"?
What might have been a probable outcome if the Southern states had fully embraced industrialization post-Civil War?
Whose invention of an improved sewing machine contributed to industrialization in the mid-19th century?
How might industrialization in the United States during the late 19th century look different if Thomas Edison hadn't invented the electric light bulb?
What was one major cause of the industrialization and urbanization that characterized the Gilded Age in America?
Which element remained unaltered for laborers during The Gilded Age despite growing industrialization?
What factor contributed consistently to the growth of the American middle class during industrialization?
Which culture trend emerged as a critique to industrialization during the Gilded Age?
During Period 6, what was a major reform movement addressing societal problems resulting from industrialization?
What cultural trend emerged during the Progressive Era as a response to industrialization?
Resources
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