Question

How might you situate the industrial revolution in the long history of humankind?

Answer 1

While the first human ancestors emerged roughly 5 to 7 million years ago, the time of humans incorporates a very small amount of time over world history. If world history were to be looked at as a clock, humans make up less than one minute of that clock. Humans however, have altered the earth more than any other time period at any given time, as humans learned how to settle down, domestic both plants and animals, and control the environment to suit our needs. That was greatly altered once the industrial revolution started in the late 18th century, by which the world population spiked from just over 1 billion in 1800 to over 7 billion people today. Through technological innovation and growth in population, the spread and sharing of ideas and events have become quicker making globalization a new phenomenon. Urbanization took place as a result, and for the first time more people began to dwell and move to cities than live in agriculture. Changes to the ecosystem have occurred as well from an over consumption of resources and burning of fuels into the air that has rapidly accelerated global warming. While the industrial revolution is only a small spec in the history of humankind (occurred from the late 18th century until the mid 19th century), it created extremely drastic changes that continue to alter the world we live in and the societies we function in going into the future.