industrialization
Process by which an increasing proportion of a country's economic activity is involved in industry. It is essential for economic development and largely responsible for the growth of cities (urbanization).
It is usually associated with the modernization of developing countries, beginning with the manufacture of simple goods that can replace imports.
industrialization - events
| 1742 | UK | The first cotton factories are opened in England, in Birmingham and Wolverhampton. |
| c. 1800 | Europe | Belgian textile manufacturer Lieven Bauwens smuggles a Crompton spinning mule out of England, spreading the Industrial Revolution in the textile industry from Britain to the rest of Europe. |
| 1805 | France | French inventor Joseph-Marie Jacquard develops a loom that uses punched cards to control the weaving of cloth. |
| 1840 | USA | Cotton textiles become the leading US industry, with 1,778,000 spindles and 75,000 workers. |
| October 1913 | USA | Henry Ford introduces the assembly line process, reducing the time required to produce a Model T car from 12.5 to 1.5 hours. |
| 1946 | USA | The first completely automated production lines are introduced at the Ford Motor Company in the USA. |
