The Industrial Revolution in World History

This concise, accessible new edition examines the industrial revolution as a global phenomenon, in terms of causes and results extending through the 20th century and into the present. The Industrial Revolution is generally recognized as a major development in world history. Even so, the study of it is routinely handled as simply part of Western European history or as part of individual national histories. Peter N Stearns offers genuinely world-historical approach, looking at the international factors that touched off the industrial revolution and at its global spread and impact. This revised third edition begins with an examination of industrialization in the West, but also treats later cases in other societies - including Japan, Russia and the United States, as well as newly-revised sections on Asia and Latin America - providing the comparative analysis usually lacking in single-nation treatments. Although the text defines the essence of industrialization in terms of technology and economic organization, it pays substantial attention to larger social results, especially changes in the experience of work and shifts in family functions and gender roles. Including a new chapter on global environmental impact, "The Industrial Revolution in World History" seeks to build on recent scholarly advances to include a more fully international and human perspective in our understanding of the industrial revolution. The third edition also features fully revised sections on globalization, causation and non-Western societies, further strengthening Stearns' discussion of complex industrial and international trends.