Industrial Revolution, in its early phase from C. 1760 to C. 1850, was largely dependent for its success on

The early phase of the Industrial Revolution (c. 1760–1850) was defined by the transition from cottage industries to the factory system [2]. While mechanization and steam power were critical, their success depended on the organization of labor within a centralized factory environment [3]. This system involved the division of labor, specialization of skills, and the concentration of wage laborers in a single location to operate machines provided by entrepreneurs [3]. Although machines increased productivity, they did not replace labor on a large scale during this specific period; rather, they transformed the nature of work, with many traditional laborers and craftspeople still forming the bulk of the workforce until the mid-nineteenth century [4]. Electric power was a feature of the Second Industrial Revolution after 1860, and while transportation improved via canals and early railways, the core structural shift was the factory-based organization of production.

Sources

1. [2] History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 11: The Age of Revolutions > Main Features > p. 167
2. [3] India and the Contemporary World – II. History-Class X . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 4: The Age of Industrialisation > Activity > p. 84
3. [4] History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 11: The Age of Revolutions > 11.4 Industrial Revolution > p. 166