The Industrial Revolution

Overview

Course No. 8950

Explore the inventors, workers, and innovations that transformed society in this Smithsonian-partnered course with Professor Patrick Allitt.

This 36-lecture journey examines:

• Britain’s pioneering role in industrialization

• Breakthrough inventions from steam engines to electricity

• The human impact on workers and urban life

• How industrialization spread globally

Discover how 18th-20th century innovations created our modern world while grappling with their complex legacy.

Video Lessons

British Origins (1-18)

1. Why Industrialization Matters (32 min)

2. Britain’s Advantages (28 min) – Why Britain led

3-4. Agriculture & Early Factories (32/32 min)

6-7. Textiles & Coal (30/31 min) – Key industries

11-12. Railways Revolution (30/32 min) – Transportation transformed

15-16. Workers’ Lives (32/32 min) – Labor conditions & literature

American Innovation (19-28)

• Early US Industry (31 min) – Whitney & Lowell

20. American Inventions (32 min) – Steamboats to telegraphs

23-24. Industrial Titans (28/30 min) – Rockefeller & Carnegie

• Labor Movements (29 min) – Strikes & protests

Global Spread & Impact (29-36)

30. World War I (32 min) – Industrial warfare

• WWII Production (30 min) – Mass manufacturing

33. Digital Revolution (29 min) – Computers emerge

• Asian Tigers (27 min) – Japan & China’s rise

35-36. Environmental Costs (32/32 min) – Pollution & sustainability