The Industrial Revolution

The second great human economic transformation after the rise of agriculture was the Industrial Revolution, which was basically the gradual conversion of handmade craftsman manufacturing to machine-made mass production. Industrial production required the grouping of labor, the creation of machines to do the work, and the availability of power sources to run the machines. These elements and several other factors came together first in Great Britain in the late eighteenth century, and then spread to the rest of Europe, North America, and eventually most of the world. Historians generally point to the development of the steam engine as the spark that ignited the Industrial Revolution. This basic machine, powered by coal, could be placed anywhere and drive other machines, particularly at first powered looms for weaving. Very quickly the steam engine moved into other industries and then into transportation, where it increased the speed and efficiency of railroads, steamships, and communication. The economic and social effects of industrialization were enormous, including rapid population growth due to increased efficiency in food production; capitalism as industry created profits but required great investment; social conflict between workers and industry owners; political change as democracy, socialism, and communism arose; scientific advance such as electricity and medicines, and increased lethality of war as conscription of mass armies and technologically advanced weapons took their toll.

From the game's History encyclopedia, AoE3: DE 100.19.18309.