XIXe

Industrialisation

Industrialisation describes the passage from a dominantly agrarian society to a commercial and industrial one. Starting in England, this process gradually spread across Europe and the United States of America. The first phase was associated with the steam engine, the construction of railway lines and the mining of coal and steel. The second phase dealt with energy sources such as electricity and petrol, new industries and the generalisation of steel. Daily life was radically transformed by inventions such as the telephone, the light bulb and the first cars.