The Industrial Revolution (The Great Courses Series)

We owe so much of our modern world to the Industrial Revolution. The lights that illuminate our homes, the cars that carry us to work, the computers that help drive our economy, and the appliances that make our lives easier-these technologies exist thanks to a remarkable group of scientists and entrepreneurs who, over the past 250 years, have transformed virtually every aspect of our lives and fueled one of the greatest periods of innovation in history.



You would have to look back to the Neolithic Revolution (the invention of agriculture) to find a comparable era when a new set of processes completely overwrote the old one. What happened to allow for such a transformation? How did governments, businesses, and ordinary laborers-beginning in 18th-century Britain-create the forces that completely upended modern society? And how are the innovations and processes of industry still at work transforming the world today?

In this course, lesson videos from The Great Courses and the Smithsonian are used to answer these questions and more. This course is a fascinating examination of one of the most pivotal eras in history. You'll explore the extraordinary events of this period; meet the inventors, businessmen, and workers responsible for these new technologies and processes; and uncover the far-reaching impact of this incredible revolution.

We recognize the benefits of the Industrial Revolution in hindsight, but we should not forget that it created numerous hardships along the way. Its method of creative destruction shattered the livelihoods of rank-and-file workers; the new economy increased inequality and often exploited workers; and it was environmentally harmful. This course presents all sides of the story and shows how the ultimate effect of industrial ingenuity has been overwhelmingly beneficial-and how the fruits of this revolution liberated people from many of the difficulties and restrictions of preindustrial life.

This course is applicable towards the United States History Certificate.

Note: Course guidebook is included with the cost of the course.