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)
- Why Industrialization Matters (32 min)
- 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
- 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)
- World War I (32 min) – Industrial warfare
- WWII Production (30 min) – Mass manufacturing
- Digital Revolution (29 min) – Computers emerge
- Asian Tigers (27 min) – Japan & China’s rise
35-36. Environmental Costs (32/32 min) – Pollution & sustainability

