ABSTRACT
The Industrial Revolution was marked by the introduction of powerdriven machinery and ushered in a time of strong economic development. It generally applied to the social and economic changes that marked the transition from a stable agricultural and commercial society to a modern industrial society relying on complex machinery rather than tools. It is used primarily to refer to the period in British history from the middle of the eighteenth century to the middle of the nineteenth century. The principle of the division of labor and the resulting specialization of skills can be found in many human activities, and there are records of its application to manufacturing in ancient Greece. The first unmistakable examples of manufacturing operations carefully designed to reduce production costs by specialized labor and the use of machines appeared in the eighteenth century in England. The rapid industrial growth that began in England during the middle of the eighteenth century then spread over the next 50 years to many other countries, including the United States.
