PODCAST · history
The Industrial Revolutions
by Dave Broker
The story of how a primate species created a world full of skyscrapers, airplanes, nuclear weapons, and vaccines. From the mass production of cotton weaving in the first industrial revolution of the 18th Century, to the digital revolution of today, this podcast will explore the ways our world has rapidly changed.
Episodes
-
Chapter 71: The Automobile
The first practical automobiles were invented in 1886 and, for the next 20 years, such vehicles gradually spread around the world. Then, through new mass-production techniques, they would spread like wildfire – dramatically altering the physical, social, and economic landscapes of our planet like...
-
Chapter 70 - The Progressive Era
In the wake of the Panic of 1893, people across the world cried out for reform. They were tired of the corruption and inequalities that defined the Gilded Age. Over the next 20 years, major changes were seen across Europe and the Americas: expansions of democracy and technocracy alike; new…
more -
Chapter 69: The New Imperialism
In the late 19th Century, the nature of imperialism was evolving. Driven by Realist geopolitics, capitalist forces, and racist assumptions, Westerners scrambled for power over the rest of the world. In this chapter, we will explore the impact of this transformation in China, Africa, and the…
more -
History Daily: The Great Civil War Locomotive Chase
A guest episode from the podcast History Daily! As we discussed back in Chapter 52, the new railroads played a major role during the U.S. Civil War. About a year into that war, a band of Union spies stole a train to sabotage the Western & Atlantic Railroad, a vital supply line at the heart of the...
-
Chapter 68: Industrialization Spreads East
In the mid-19th Century, two eastern empires were humiliated by industrialized powers. To avoid further humiliation, they both decided to industrialize themselves. In the late 19th Century, Russia and Japan went through rapid modernization. But which of the two succeeded would shock everyone…
more -
Chapter 67 - The Iron Chancellor & Rise of Germany
The Second Industrial Revolution more or less coincided with the lifespan of the German Empire. From 1871 to 1914, the new nation adopted a fairly democratic constitution, saw massive population growth, and experienced extraordinary economic development. Along the way, they created innovative new...
-
Chapter 66: The Revolt of Labor
At the end of the 19th Century, workers throughout the world were fighting increasingly bitter, bloody battles against their capitalist bosses and the governments protecting them. In this episode, we will cover such topics as: Worker internationalism Paris Commune The Great Upheaval of 1877 The...
-
Chapter 65: Economic Ideas (The Many Schools of Socialism)
During the late 19th Century, socialism fractured into numerous schools. In this episode, we explore the growing field of socialist thought, as well as its many colorful characters. Topics in this episode include: Edward Bellamy and his novel, Looking Backward French Solidarism Ferdinand…
more -
Chapter 64: Economic Ideas (The Neoclassics)
Beginning in the 1870s, the Neoclassical School of Economics emerged. Borrowing the idea of marginal analysis from calculus, and applying it to the ethical theory of Utilitarianism, they revolutionized the way economics was discussed. Today, we discuss the various “Marginalists” of this school…
more -
Chapter 63: Finance and Turbulence
As industrialization drove economic growth all over the Western World, financial systems had to keep growing in complexity and value. And as they did, they continued to drive industrialization further in turn. And, then as now, they were susceptible to greedy players, bad decisions, and panic.
-
Chapter 62: An American Aristocracy
Americans had long believed their country was a classless society. But by the end of the 19th Century, that myth had been shattered. In the Gilded Age, a super-rich elite emerged. They spent lavishly on houses, parties, and luxuries, while also investing in education and philanthropy. In this...
-
Podcast Special! - From Textile Workers to Rideshare Drivers: The Never-Ending History of Creative Destruction
The live recording of my recent Mill Talk at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation.
-
Chapter 61: New Energy, New Engine
In the mid-19th Century, two new industrial developments were underway. In the UK and US, new discoveries were made for the refining of crude petroleum into numerous useful oils. Meanwhile, in France and Germany, engineers were starting to produce the first commercially viable internal combustion...
-
Industrial Revolutions Update
Sign up for email alerts: https://industrialrevolutionspod.com/
-
Chapter 60: The Electric Age
Electric power has become a staple of our daily lives. In this episode, we’ll discuss how it was made possible. Topics covered include: The rise of the modern engineer and the many technological breakthroughs made in the late 19th Century; The life of Thomas Edison; The development of the...
-
Chapter 59: Steel and Rubber
It is simply impossible to imagine life today without the mass-production of steel and rubber, made possible during the Technological Revolution. In this episode, we’ll discuss the inventions of the Bessemer converter and the Siemens-Martin process for steel making, the expanding steel empire of...
-
Chapter 58: A New Commercial Era
More so than in the First Industrial Revolution, the Second Industrial Revolution saw big changes in consumer markets. Thanks to mail-order catalogs, dry goods palaces, and new department stores, consumers had more options than ever before. Whether it was clothing, furniture, grooming products,...
-
Chapter 57: America's Railroad Age
In this episode, we talk about the many changes to American life brought about by the railroads in the late 19th Century. Topics include: New construction tools like dynamite; George Pullman’s sleeper cars; Railroad tycoons like Cornelius Vanderbilt and Jay Gould; The development of modern...
-
Chapter 56: The Technological Revolution
A quick introduction to the Second Industrial Revolution. Become a patron of the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/indrevpod
-
Chapter 55: Bold Leaps of Discovery
In the mid-19th Century, scientists would upend everything human beings understood about themselves and the world around them, and they would drive that world forward into a second industrial revolution. In this chapter we discuss the new fields of genetics and evolutionary biology, the…
more -
Chapter 54: The Great Global Shake-Up
In an age of expanding railroads, steam-driven ocean liners, transnational telegraphs, and more, the world experienced its “First Wave of Modern Globalization.” In this episode, we discuss the ways it played out in the mid-19th Century, including massive waves of migrations, gold rushes,...
-
Chapter 53: Nationalism
In the wake of the Industrial Revolution, human beings were becoming increasingly aware of the things that united them and the things that divided them, as they identified themselves more and more along the lines of nationhood. In this episode, we discuss that push-and-pull as it started in the...
-
Chapter 52: Making Modern War
In this episode, we talk about the super-deadly conflicts that happened between the First and Second Industrial Revolutions: The Crimean War, the U.S. Civil War, the Paraguayan War, and the Taiping Rebellion. Click here to become a supporter on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/indrevpod
-
Chapter 51: Making the Modern City
In the mid-19th Century, cities across the industrializing world began to modernize. New infrastructure was added, new layouts of streets and city resources were devised, and greater emphasis was placed on improving the quality of life for all people. Topics covered in this episode include: Edwin...
-
Chapter 50: Public Health Breakthroughs
The 19th Century was fraught with public health challenges – many of them spurred by the Industrial Revolution. In this episode, we look at environmental health, alcoholism, and cholera, in particular. And we see how the scientists, policymakers, and mass movements of the age addressed these...
-
Chapter 49: Karl Marx
This month we explore the life, times, and ideas of one of history’s most controversial figures. The Industrial Revolution marked a turning point in history, and Karl Marx used a combination of philosophy, economics, politics, and history to try to explain it – and what comes next. To get up to…
more -
Chapter 48: Wrapping Up the First Industrial Revolution
A look back on all the incredible changes the world saw in the First Industrial Revolution, and some looking forward to the future. Submit your questions for this month’s AMA: www.IndustrialRevolutionsPod.com/contact Become an Industrial Revolutionary: www.Patreon.com/indrevpod
-
Chapter 47: Springtime of the Peoples
In 1848, the effects of the industrialization and financial modernization combined with the forces of burgeoning ideologies and class and national identities to create a year of revolutions. Uprisings against the existing order swept across Continental Europe – although these missions failed…
more -
Chapter 46: Victoria and Albert
Telling the story of the Industrial Revolution would not be complete without spending some time on Queen Victoria and her consort, Prince Albert. Her long reign came at the height of British power and, together with her hard-working husband, she forged a legacy that embraced change. Under her…
more -
Chapter 45: Faith, Fashion, Food, and Football
The second of two episodes devoted to the cultural changes underway in the 18th and 19th Centuries, thanks (at least in part) to the Industrial Revolution. First we’ll explore the so-called Second Great Awakening, which spurred a diversity of religious traditions in the United States. Then we’ll...
-
Chapter 44: Romance and Romanticism
Support the Industrial Revolutions on Patreon: www.Patreon.com/indrevpod The first of two episodes devoted to the cultural changes underway in the 18th and 19th Centuries, thanks (at least in part) to the Industrial Revolution. In Part 1, we’ll be talking about how romance became a more important...
-
Chapter 43: The Decline of the Gentry
With the rise of capitalism, industrialization, and liberal economic policies, the relative power of the old, landed aristocracy was waning. And to fill their place was a nouveaux riche bourgeoisie. Check out the podcast “Physical Attraction” here: http://physicalattraction.libsyn.com/ Get...
-
Chapter 42: The Early Socialists
This month we get to know the first wave of socialist thinkers – the Utopian socialists – including Robert Owen, Étienne Cabet, Jean Claude Leonard de Sismondi, Henri de Saint-Simone, Charles Fourier, and more. We also get to see how Radical associations in Britain – like the trade unions…
more -
Chapter 41: The Lives of Workers
Historians have generally had two very different takes on the Industrial Revolution. One take is that it left workers with a lot of grime, exploitation, and suffering. The other take is that it led to workers realizing greater material well-being, greater opportunity, and greater empowerment.…
more -
Chapter 40: The Rise of the Liberals
From 1830 to 1848, a surge of liberalism swept through the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. It not only brought new political and economic reforms, it established the norms that still influence our politics and economic systems today.
-
Chapter 39: The Age of Invention
At the tail-end of the First Industrial Revolution, a flurry of new goods and tools were invented by professional and hobbyist inventors alike, hoping to get rich in this new era of opportunity. Among the most significant of these breakthroughs were three tools I'm going to tell you about in this...
-
Chapter 38: The Advent of Modern Advertising
Advancements made in paper-making, printing, and lithography during the First Industrial Revolution led to many other developments. Among them: They set the foundation for modern advertising. This week we discuss some of the many characters from France, Great Britain, and the United States who…
more -
Chapter 37: Photography
In 1839, inventors in England and France simultaneously introduced the world to photography, putting “a new force in the hands of man.” We’ll learn about the scientists who made it possible, the initial experiments, and the impact it has had from the 19th Century to today.Support the Industrial...
-
Chapter 36: Let There Be Light!
Without advancements in artificial light, much of the economic development and material improvement of the Industrial Revolution wouldn’t have been possible. So, in the days before electric lighting was possible, the people of the time needed to come up with alternatives. And innovators from...
-
Chapter 35: The Telegraph
This week, we discuss the development and impact of the electric telegraph – a new means of communicating through metal wires at the end of the First Industrial Revolution. This episode covers: The possibilities made by Alessandro Volta’s battery The early telegraph systems made by von…
more -
Chapter 34: Brunel and Vanderbilt
This week we explore the lives and careers Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Cornelius Vanderbilt – two of industrial history’s most prolific individuals. One was from the UK, one was from the US. One cared little about profits, the other cared for nothing but profits. But both men had a major impact…
more -
Chapter 33: Industry in the USA
At the start of the 19th Century, the U.S. economy was very similar to the cash-crop export economies of the soon-to-be-independent countries of Latin America. But a half century later, the U.S. was the second largest economy in the world, with industrial productivity on par with – or even…
more -
Chapter 32: Industrialization and the Wider World
This week, we’re stepping away from Europe and the United States to look at the impact of the Industrial Revolution on the rest of the world. Among other places, we’ll be visiting Mexico, Brazil, Egypt, India, China, and Australia.Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/indrevpod
-
Chapter 31: Railway Fever Spreads
This week we discuss how railroads rapidly spread across Great Britain, the United States, and Continental Europe between 1830 and 1848. In particular, we’ll focus on the unique ways railroads developed in each country, the civil engineers who built them, and the economic and social impacts of...
-
Chapter 30: The Locomotive
By the 1820s, canal transport could no longer keep pace with the efficiencies of mass production in British factories. It would take a new machine – built by impressive (and often colorful) characters – to move freight and passengers on railways at previously unimaginable speeds.Support the…
more -
Chapter 29: The Rothschilds
The Industrial Revolution in Great Britain made the surprising success story of the Rothchilds possible. And the Rothschilds, in turn, made the Industrial Revolution possible across the rest of Europe. In this episode, we’ll cover: Mayer Amschel Rothschild’s business in the Frankfurt ghetto…
more -
Chapter 28: Economic Ideas (Part 3: The Classics)
Please consider becoming a supporter on Patreon. Your support helps pay for the audio hosting service, the website, research materials, and other costs of delivering the podcast. Plus there are special perks available only to Patreon supporters, including footnotes, book reviews, special...
-
Chapter 27: Finance and Industrialization
Going back to the 1600s, the development of modern financial systems transformed life on planet earth. Debt markets and stock markets helped industrialization spread and remain ever-growing. They’ve also created a new phenomenon: The boom-and-bust cycle. And it seems that we, as a species, have...
-
Chapter 26: Ending the Slave Trade
The practice of slavery was as old as the written word. But in the age of Europe’s global empires, it took a racist and even more sinister turn. Then, in the years between 1807 and 1819, with the rise of liberalism and industrialization, western powers began to end the transatlantic slave trade…
more -
Chapter 25: Man Takes Flight
As chemistry advanced in the 18th Century, it was applied to perhaps the all-time greatest dream of humankind: Learning how to fly. In this episode, we meet the men who made it possible as “Balloonmania” took off in France, and then across the industrializing world.Support the Industrial...
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
The story of how a primate species created a world full of skyscrapers, airplanes, nuclear weapons, and vaccines. From the mass production of cotton weaving in the first industrial revolution of the 18th Century, to the digital revolution of today, this podcast will explore the ways our world has rapidly changed.
HOSTED BY
Dave Broker
CATEGORIES
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Industrial Revolutions have?
The Industrial Revolutions currently has 75 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Industrial Revolutions about?
The story of how a primate species created a world full of skyscrapers, airplanes, nuclear weapons, and vaccines. From the mass production of cotton weaving in the first industrial revolution of the 18th Century, to the digital revolution of today, this podcast will explore the ways our world has...
How often does The Industrial Revolutions release new episodes?
The Industrial Revolutions has 75 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to The Industrial Revolutions?
You can listen to The Industrial Revolutions on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Industrial Revolutions?
The Industrial Revolutions is created and hosted by Dave Broker.
URL copied to clipboard!