The Industrial Revolution in World History

By Peter N. Stearns

Book Overview

Now in its sixth edition, this book explores the ways in which the industrial revolution reshaped world history, covering the international factors that helped launch the industrial revolution, its global spread and its impact from the end of the eighteenth century to the present day.

The single most important development in human history over the past three centuries, the industrial revolution continues to shape the contemporary world. Revised and brought into the present, The Industrial Revolution in World History extends the global analysis of the industrial revolution, looking beyond the West, extending to India, the Middle East and Africa and now including more on key Latin American economies and China, as well as environmental impacts in all these areas. A new chapter covers the heightened tensions, since 2008, about the economic aspects of globalization and the decline of manufacturing in the West, plus the implications of Artificial Intelligence. This edition also features an updated suggestions for further reading and boxed debate features that encourage the reader to consider diversity and different viewpoints in their own analysis.

Illustrating the contemporary relevance of the industrial revolution's history, this is essential reading for students of world history and economics, as well as for those seeking to know more about the global implications of what is arguably the defining socioeconomic event of modern times.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1041213050
• ISBN13: 9781041213055
• Release Date: March 2026
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 300 Pages