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James Watt
James Watt's involvement in the Industrial Revolution was in steam engine technology. Even though he was not the inventor of the steam engine, he did help create a more efficient design that greatly helped in the cost of using them. His invention led him to becoming one of the more important figures of the Industrial Revolution. -
Spinning Jenny
The spinning jenny was invented to help the textile industry. It helped speed up the process because the machine was able to do the work of eight people. Although what was being made was weaker than what you could make by hand, it still made getting textiles much cheaper and faster. -
George Stephenson
George Stephenson was important during the Industrial Revolution because of his invention, the Rocket, an early form of railway transportation. He also created the first inter-city railway in 1830. Because of all of his inventions, he was sometimes called the "Father of Railways". -
Cotton Gin
Tremendously sped up the process of removing husks and seeds from cotton. Could produce 50 pounds of cotton in one day, as opposed to getting one pound per day when the process was done by hand. Because so much cotton was being produced, the availability of cheap cloth was much easier to get. -
Karl Marx
Karl Marx was important in the Industrial Revolution because of his acceptance of communism. He believed that working in factories would revolt because of their conditions. Also his cowriting of the Communist Manifesto and other works helped future communist leaders. -
Dynamo
The dynamo was an important factor in the Industrial Revolution because it generated electricity. The electricity helped power things like factories, which helped with the manufacturing and production of things. -
Alfred Nobel
Alfred Nobel was important in the Industrial Revolution because he invented dynamite and the device used to make it explode, the blasting cap. This helped tremendously in mining. This helped with mining because the explosion helped them be able to mine deeper. -
Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison was important in the Industrial Revolution for his inventions. His most important invention during this time was his cheaper version of the lightbulb. This helped because it allowed factories and other businesses to be open while it was dark outside. He also created motors, appliances, and electrical systems. -
Communism
During the Industrial Revolution communism somewhat stemmed from socialism. They believed that the capitalist system was treating factory workers in unfair ways by making them work horrible conditions. One main "leader" of these ideas was Karl Marx, who showed people what the communist party was all about. -
Socialism
During the Industrial Revolution, socialism rose to power to convince people to expand the capitalist system. They disagreed in terms of production because socialists believed in a free market system and private ownership. They also wanted to give more people better working conditions in factories. -
Utilitarianism
The basic idea of utilitarianism is that you should promote happiness and pleasure and reject unhappiness and violence. It's the idea that when faced with an issue people should look for the best outcomes and follow what's best. Utilitarianism also on an affect on what people should do morally. -
Social Gospel
Social gospel was a religious movement during the Industrial Revolution. During the movement many people believed you had to emulate Jesus Christ's life. To do this they needed to put their desires behind them and help the less fortunate people in the world. -
Social Darwinism
During the Industrial Revolution they believed that people of different groups and races would be victim to survival of the fittest. Because of this idea, some believed that this would lead to the best being left in the population. For example, the poor were seen has unfit and were not to be given assistance in life, and the wealthy were seen as successful. -
Automobile
The automobile was important to the Industrial Revolution because it gave people an easier way to get around to jobs and activities. It also led to the improvement of roads and the planning of highways. It also helped with the creation of using the assembly line. -
Assembly Line
The assembly line started in the later years of the Industrial Revolution. Before that method was used, the manufacturing of items would take a long time because one person was doing every job. With the assembly line, it took less time because they had many people doing two to three smaller jobs over and over again on different parts. This decreased the time it took to make a full product.
