The Industrial Revolution is without a doubt, one of the most significant changes that has occurred in history. The Industrial Revolution began in England because of their large demand for coal and iron. And since they had a large supply of this, England soon began to have to produce vast amounts across all of Europe. In the 1700's, England was one of the world's leading producers of iron and coal and was considered as having the most colonial power, due to their newly acquired colonies (American). The colonies provided a market for manufactured products and helped stimulate the textile and iron industries in England. The colonies also gave England all of the resources that were desperately needed due to produce all of the goods that were necessary. In most industries, before the Industrial Revolution, labor was done by hand. This was called the cottage industry. .
In the early 1700's, there was great demand for cotton cloth. In order to meet this demand people needed something to increase their output. This is when the Spinning Jenny and the water frame were invented. These two inventions cut time and expenses in half due to the lesser amount of labor that was needed. These inventions also left a lot of people that were used to working the land baffled. Another great invention in the seventeenth century is the steam engine. The steam engine allowed people to travel to remote destinations much quicker than ever before due to the steam power of a train or ferry. Cities were able to expand in size because people could go farther in less time. Without this great invention none of the manufactured items that were being produced to support most everybody in the world would have ever been able to have been distributed. .
Several systems of making goods had grown up by the time of the Industrial revolution. In county districts, families produced most of the supplies that they used, while in the cities merchandise was made in shops, and manufacturing was strictly regulated by the guilds and by the government.