what is industrialization 
industrialization is the process of transforming the economy of a nation or region from a focus on agriculture to a reliance on manufacturing mechanized methods of mass production are an essential component of this transition the positive characteristics of industrialization include economic growth a more efficient division of labor and a growth spurt in technological innovation investopedia nono floresunderstanding industrializationindustrialization can be driven by a combination of factors including government policy labor saving inventions entrepreneurial ambitions and a demand for goods and services it has profound implications for the population causing a wave of migration from small farms to cities and towns where jobs can be found the most dramatic example in recent history is that of china where government policy changes in the late 20th century led to the nation s transition from an economy based on subsistence farming to a global manufacturing powerhouse in the western world industrialization is most commonly associated with the industrial revolution in europe that began in the late 18th century and the subsequent burst of industrialization in the u s through the 19th century in europe the era was characterized by a surge in local manufacturing of goods for export made possible by a growing population of consumers great britain played an outsized role in the process through technological innovations such as steam powered machinery 1industrialization quickly spread to the united states the epicenter of laissez faire capitalism inventions including the cotton mill and steam power made possible the establishment of mill towns such as lowell ma and pawtucket ri 2world war ii created an unprecedented demand for certain manufactured goods leading to a buildup of production capacity post war prosperity provided further catalysts that kept capacity utilization high and stimulated further growth innovation specialization and wealth creation were the causes and effects of industrialization in this period the late 20th century was marked by rapid industrialization in other parts of the world notably asia the asian tigers hong kong south korea taiwan and singapore all participated in economic growth based on manufacturing for global customers china experienced its own industrial revolution after moving away from a strict communist model 3effects of industrializationthe innovations of the 19th century allowed for the mass production of commercial goods as manufacturing activities grew transportation finance and communications industries all expanded to support the new production capacity it also led to increased labor specialization and allowed cities to support larger populations motivating a rapid demographic shift people left rural areas in large numbers seeking jobs in budding industries the industrial revolution led to unprecedented expansion in wealth and financial well being for some a larger middle class emerged as consumer demand for more goods and services grew and business creation boomed to feed the demand modes of industrializationdifferent strategies and methods of industrialization have been followed over time with varying degrees of success the industrial revolution in europe and the united states initially took place under mercantilist and protectionist government policies that fostered the early growth of industry these later adopted a laissez faire or free market approach that encouraged foreign trade providing new outlets for industrial output in the post second world war era developing nations across latin america and africa adopted a strategy of import substituting industrialization which involved protectionist barriers to trade coupled with direct subsidization or nationalization of domestic industries nearly at the same time parts of europe and several east asian economies pursued an alternative strategy of export led growth this strategy emphasized the deliberate pursuit of foreign trade to build exporting industries and depended in part on maintaining a weak currency to make exports more attractive to foreign buyers in general export led growth has outperformed import substituting industrialization the socialist nations of the 20th century repeatedly embarked on centrally planned programs of industrialization these include the first and second five year plans in the soviet union and the great leap forward in china while these efforts did re orient the respective economies toward a more industrial base and an increase in output of industrial commodities they were also accompanied by harsh government repression deteriorating living and working conditions for workers and even widespread starvation examples of industrializationindustrialization is dependent on growth and innovation in at least four industries industrialization began with the invention of machines that greatly increased the manufacture of goods one such invention was the cotton gin patented by eli whitney in 1794 whether hand cranked or steam powered the machine made it possible to greatly increase the speed with which cotton fluff could be separated from its seeds before being woven into cloth 4another was the spinning jenny a contraption that could multiply the number of spindles that a single spinner could handle at the same time to weave cotton or wool 5perhaps the key invention of them all was the steam engine an improved version of which was invented by scottish engineer james watt in 1763 coal powered steam engines drove the industrial revolution 1many of the great inventions of the 19th century were developed to serve the mining industry the 19th century was a period of unparalleled innovation in ways to transport goods from and to marketplaces among them before contactless payments and self service checkouts there were innovations in retailing that were designed to appeal to 19th century shoppers 