BR: Imagine you life in one of the societies we mentioned yesterday BR: Imagine you life in one of the societies we mentioned yesterday. What would be different about your life? Describe it: Societal Evolution

Feudal Society Around the 9th Century, a new style of society evolved. It was called the feudal system, with a very strict system, with the nobility, the people on top, telling the people below them, the vassals, what to do. It wasn’t very much fun for the majority of people, and there wasn’t a lot of social mobility. Kingdoms fought each other, and many generations lived and died in much the same economic situation as their great-grandparents. However, the Industrial Revolution would change all of that!

The Effects of the Industrial Revolution Important Changes: Some of the most important changes in Human History occurred during the late 1700s-1800s. We’ll be taking a look at their influence.

The Invention of the Engine One new invention that got the industrial revolution started was the steam engine. Steam engines burned fuel (such as coal, wood, etc) and were used for a variety of things. VID At first they were used to pull water out of coal mines, so that the miners could get more coal down deeper. Eventually they replaced watermills (which use the flow of water to turn a wheel, which in turn runs the factory), so that mills (such as textile mills, as well as grain mills) could be anywhere, and not limited to be in a windy area, or next to a river.

The Development of Cities As mills/factories developed, people naturally congregated (i.e. gathered) there looking for work. Cities grew, and even sprang up where no city had been before. 1000s of people who had lived for generations and lived by following the seasons (i.e. planting in the spring, growing in the summer and harvesting in the Fall) began to instead learn new habits of working an hourly schedule 6 days a week (excluding Sundays).

A Transforming Influence By the late 1800s, the world had been drastically changed by the Industrial Revolution. Where it had started in England, it spread to Europe, as well as the U.S. England had lead the 1st phase of the industrial revolution, using steam power, coal, and cotton manufacturing. The next phase was led by the U.S., and focused on steel, electricity, oil and gas. And like most great changes in human history, there were positive and negative results.

Comparing the Effects of the Industrial Revolution Positives Negatives Goods were much cheaper and affordable Millions could buy things that before, only kings and nobles could afford (or even better) For example, today the average American family enjoys many things that kings and nobility never enjoyed or could have dreamed of, like TVs, heated water, telephones, cars, etc. Inequality became an even bigger problem. Factory owners got incredibly rich while their workers barely survived. Workers often worked 16 hour shifts, from dark to dark, and for very little money. They had no legal protection, so if they lost a limb while working, etc, too bad. VID

HW: Industrial Revolution Research Project Check out the handout, and use the rest of class to get started!