🚞 Intro
In this two-part series, I present my research on the 1st and 2nd industrial revolutions, followed by the 3rd and 4th. My aim is to examine each of the industrial revolutions and the key changes that occurred during each of them. Through my research and writing, I attempted to distill a better understanding of the factors that subsequently led to each revolution and its impact on societies around the globe. If I can better understand the ‘why’, why did each of these revolutions occur? I believe I will be equipped to make more actionable business and economic decisions when building and working on products and services, this blog included.
Table Of Contents
Overview
🚂 Taking a quick look around you, what objects in your room or in the space you are occupying are a direct result of scientific innovation and technological advancements? What are the objects that have defined your family’s way of life: Products, services, etc.? Within a few moments of observing what’s going on around you, it’s easy to see how much our society is impacted by innovations and technologies, many of which we wouldn’t be able to live without.
There have been three industrial revolutions in human history, each with the most profound changes in day-to-day life for humans worldwide. Among these changes were mass-produced steel, electrification, transportation, bio-medical technology, and computers. From a macro perspective, scientific advances and the application of new technologies have dramatically altered the way the world functions. We are currently heading towards a period that the World Economic Forum is calling The Fourth Industrial Revolution, per the article that was published on Jan 14, 2016 by Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum or WEF. 3IR will continue until roughly 2030 based on the assumptions and research of economists and historians.
This post focuses on less restrictive overviews of each industrial revolution, which are often broken down into subcategories by economists. There are a few common factors in each Industrial Revolution (IR), such as the discovery of new energy sources, technological advancements, and the development of new manufacturing processes that make production more efficient and remove central points of failure that are often human in nature.
🛠 1IR–The 1st Industrial Revolution
The 1st Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain, sometimes referred to as the Victorian Industrial Revolution. During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, steam engines were developed, and heavy industry transitioned from hand-made manufacturing practices to mechanization, hydropower, and steam power, thereby launching the first Industrial Revolution. During the 1st Industrial Revolution, the industry also began to transition similarly in North America, Germany, and Japan. Globally, the nexus was the UK, followed by the United States and North America, which was and remains a colonial protectorate of the UK.
💂♀️ The Innovations & Technological Advancements Of 1IR
Energy
During the 16th century, deforestation led to a shortage of wood for fuel– The transition from wood-burning to coal was complete by the 17th century, and coal became the dominant fuel throughout industrialized countries, but more specifically in the UK— The coal-fired steam engine was the most important technological innovation of the first IR.
Transportation
In Europe and North America, better roads were developed as a result of the need for more efficient modes of transportation. In addition, new maritime waterways were created in response to the demands of an ever-increasing population of newly industrialized nations. Coal-fired steam engines led to the development of steamboats in the early 19th century, resulting in faster transportation and increased trade. Rail was the first major industrialized transportation industry, leading to interconnected hubs of business and commerce in Europe, Asia, and North America.
Farming & Agriculture
We have relied on agricultural advancements since the dawn of civilization to produce food more efficiently and with fewer resources. Agricultural practices and farming were developed when plants and animals were domesticated and crops were cultivated. Throughout Africa, Europe, and Asia, these developments have taken place over millennia. In the 1IR, farmers’ and farmers’ equipment was improved in a number of ways, including the seed drill invented by Jethro Tull in 1701. Other innovations include improvements in soil health as well as drought-resistant crops, first grown in the mid-1750s, which are able to grow in harsher, less forgiving environments. Through each advancement, crop yields improved, which enabled industrialized societies to feed a rapidly growing population. The rate in which our society has changed since 1IR’s inception would not have been possible without advances in agriculture.
A new smelting technique resulted in better types of iron for machinery called wrought iron, which was more malleable and, therefore, more utilitarian than other irons. In addition, the chemical industry experienced its first revolutionary advances during this period, with the demand for bleaching solutions for cotton and other textiles. A number of technological advances were also made in response to the demand for dyes, explosives, fertilizers, medicines, including pharmaceuticals, and solvents.
Textile
Textile production, specifically cotton, played a major role in economic development between 1750 and 1850. Small-scale production to a more centralized model in order to increase production and efficiency (mechanized and large factory-based). The advancements include the spinning jenny, spinning mule, and power loom. From human-powered to water-powered, and finally steam-powered looms revolutionized the industry.
🇺🇸 2IR and War In The Industrial Age
⚔️ The Second Industrial Revolution, which has also been referred to as The American IR, began in 1870, during the height of the Civil War-–With 600,000 casualties, the civil war was the bloodiest in US history. In 1870, the United States is in the peak years of war, a war that will reshape and redefine the country– 4 out of 5 factories were located in the North, giving the Union a massive advantage. Producing 25X more weapons and 6X the amount of ammunition than the Confederacy. During the civil war, most Southerners lived a vastly different lifestyle than their more urban and industrialized northern counterparts, living in mostly rural communities established around farming and agriculture, with very little heavy-industries such as those found in New York and Pittsburgh.
The North and its industrialized manufacturing crushed the South with the greatest industrial might of the era. The final battle of the war was in Richmond VA, it was on this battlefield that the south capitulated, fleeing after years of devastating loss. The South’s most valuable commodity was their crops, mainly Tobacco, among other commodities and resources–One of the final directives of the Confederate Army was to destroy their resources/commodities, to ensure they did not get into the hands of the Union and further strengthen their industrial might and economic dominance.
🧨 The Confederate soldiers were instructed throughout the war that they were protecting their resources and way of life, how can you instruct soldiers to destroy the very thing they were fighting for, to begin with? This directive would stand in direct contrast to everything that they have been told, all of the loss of life and property was put into question, why did we fight this war? Their instructions were to burn all of the warehouses, but what was intended to be an isolated burn, turned into a wide-scale burning of the entire city of Richmond, VA, the capital of the Confederate States during the war and the location of the most industrialized city in the South.
Richmond finally fell after 4 years of war: The army of General Robert E. Lee moved West, hastily finding themselves cut off by Union Soldiers and devoid of supplies— 6 days later, and after persistent burning in Richmond, Lee and his army officially surrendered at Appomattox Court House, VA, bringing the Civil War and the first industrial war to an end.
The victor does not employ a better strategy, the victor harnesses the power of industry to out-produce their enemy, a war between the factories- This marks a turning point, all wars fought in succession have been a race to both out-Produce and out-innovate the enemy–Industry will forever be viewed as a force-multiplier…
Not only did the civil war birth the first American Industrial Revolution, and the beginning of a newly unified country, but it also kicked off the Military Industrial Complex as we now know it. Many of the manufacturing practices employed to mass-produce weapons were used after wartime, leading to the mechanization of agriculture and manufacturing in the private sector.
🌉 Putting up their swords, millions of battle-hardened soldiers, immigrants(26 million people immigrate to the US between the 1st and 2nd IR), and prospects venture away from their homes to begin anew. Many of whom are looking for an opportunity to work whilst traveling westward, there was an endless opportunity in westward expansion.
Soldiers from both sides helped to build the transcontinental railways, connecting each coast of the US with central business centers, from New York City to Denver, and from Chicago to San Francisco. Conquered by steel and steam, the transcontinental railway creates a bridge between business hubs and central locations of commerce through the New West, East Coast, and South - Within a few years, millions of Americas and immigrants have moved West, true pioneers.
Go West, Young Man, words ostensibly used as a promise through The Manifest Destiny, and the Homestead Act, which was the largest US-Land grab in History.
The central regions affected by 2IR, were the United States, Germany, and United Kingdom, but also include France, Italy, and Japan. This period of technological advancement followed the industrial revolution in succession, and will not be proceeded until the 3rd, brought on by the introduction of advanced semiconductor technology: computers and the internet.
⚡️ The Innovations & Technological Advancements Of 2IR
The Bessemer Process
This process resulted in the first cheaply produced steel using an industrial process and mass production. Named after inventor Henry Bessemer, who patented the process in 1856– A similar process existed dating back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE), using a partial decarbonization process of repeat forging of cast iron and infusion of cool temps.
Electricity and Electrification
Many Economists and Historians view the introduction of electricity as one of the most important advances in the history of mankind, and unequivocally one of the most important technological advances of the 20th century. Early theoretical research around the harnessing and use of electricity points to the work of Michael Faraday. His research studied the magnetic field around a conductor that carries a DC-current, as part of his work on electromagnetic fields.
Some of the first practical applications and major innovations of electricity include:
It was also during this period that electricity was used in the application of electrified rail-cars and early electric vehicles (not a 21st-century technology) and mixed hybrid ICE engines, as I reviewed in my post, Will The Forthcoming Subaru WRX STI Be Hybrid?(NO Longer available on this blog)
For more information about the invention of the telephone, please view my recent post, titled, Fintech How-the-Tech-Industry-Is-Changing-Finance, In this post, I review the invention of the telephone with more granular detail and the contributions of Alexander Graham Bell during 1IR.
Aerospace
The initial concept for a manned-flying vehicle was created by Leonardo Da Vinci in 1485, this initial concept was the inspiration for the Wright Brothers to create the first manned-flying machine and flew the first sustained flight in 1903, with the help of theories around aerodynamics–This period saw both the introduction of the airplane, from single-prop to jet-powered, and includes advancements in space flight and jet propulsion–WW1 and WW2 single handily led to the modern-day aerospace industry and our eventual venture into space.
New modes of transportation, including both commercial and consumer vehicles
With the introduction of the Bessemer process, trains and the supporting infrastructure were now able to be produced more cheaply and at scale. Prior to the wide-scale use of steel in the train/railroad industry, Iron was the metal of choice. One of the core benefits of steel over iron is strength and durability, and throughout the 2IR Iron was slowly replaced.
Production and Manufacturing Innovations
Ford Model T and The Assembly Line: The Ford Model T was by far not the first consumer vehicle, that title goes to the founder of Mercedes Benz, Karl Benz who in 1885, built the first automobile, a single-piston gas-powered machine— Henry Ford’s contributions to the world go well beyond simply vehicles, his innovative business practices changed the world and greatly reduced the unit cost of every good and service sold.
The American Industrial Revolution was about production innovations and efficiencies, a practice that continues today–When you zoom out and think about which motivating factors led to the innovations we will be reviewing in part 2 of this post, the Assembly line was the catalyst for many of the following innovations and technologies, a unanimous sentiment shared amongst Researchers of this epoch.
🩺 Bio Medical Innovations
🦠 During WW1, doctors and scientists were able to prove a direct link between infection and bacteria. Microbes have killed more people than all wars combined- The first antibiotic, Penicillin, was discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928.
🧬 It is difficult to imagine a leg amputation, pre-local anesthetic, or anesthesiology a few hundred years ago when human civilization only had herbal medicines to treat even the most severe of injuries and medical procedures. Pain and suffering are visceral and sympathy-evoking, It’s no wonder why the first medicine to be synthesized was morphine, a derivative of the opium poppy, effectively opening the pandora’s box of analgesics, many of which help to treat the most grievous of injuries, and in addition, some of which have to lead to some of the most significant levels of suffering in modern history— The process of extracting morphine was the single most innovative discovery in pharmacological chemistry, far outweighing the discovery of penicillin, per many scientists and researchers.
This new alkaloid, the morphine derivative, led to the creation of all modern-day medicines we take for granted- an explicit dose could now be quantified, opening a whole new world of possibilities for pharmacological chemistry.
Some of the titans of industry and innovators during this period (1 & 2 IR)
Wrapping Part-1
Thank you for taking the time to review part 1 of this 2-part series on the Industrial Revolutions– Within the next week, I will publish part 2, covering the 3rd and 4th industrial revolutions, as well as incrementally push edits to part 1, including links, page design, and minor copy changes.
Ship it !🚢
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