How Did The Industrial Revolution Affect The Economy

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The Industrial Revolution, which reached the United States in the 19th century, profoundly reshaped American culture and had a significant impact on subsequent global history. If the American Revolution spurred the birth of a nation, the Industrial Revolution marked that nation’s growth into maturity. The Industrial Revolution altered all aspects of American life, from the economy to politics and the fabric of society itself. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, America possessed a predominantly agrarian economy and generated wealth through the trade of tobacco, and resources such as lumber, minerals, fur and fish. England, rich in resources thanks to its colonial acquisitions, benefited from a series of technological breakthroughs to become …show more content…
This process concentrated wealth in the hands of industrialists, whose fortunes became tied to the fluctuations of a consumer market. During the Industrial Revolution, capitalist America, with its large population and vast natural resources, became an economic juggernaut that took advantage of a vast internal and international consumer market. The political implications of the American Industrial Revolution included the rise of the United States as a global economic power, the clash between traditional culture and modern progress, and the passage of labor-related legislation. The Civil War represented a conflict between an agrarian society, which relied upon slave labor, and an industrial society in which paid employees fueled a consumer economy. The expansion of the American economy had international repercussions, including the opening of relations with Japan and spurred rapid territorial