Hildebrant, Human Geography for the AP® Course 1e - Module 53

Industrial Revolution

The rapid transformation of the economy through the introduction of machines, new power sources, and new chemical processes in Europe and the United States between 1760 and 1830

textile

A fabric or cloth woven from the fibers of wool, cotton, or flax

labor productivity

The average amount of goods or services produced per worker per unit of time

fossil fuels

Natural fuel derived from the fossilized remains of living organisms

crude oil

A yellowish-black liquid fossil fuel found in geologic deposits

commercial farmers

Farmers who raise crops and livestock to sell in the market at a profit rather than raising them for their own consumption

wage labor

A socioeconomic relationship in which an employer pays a worker to complete a task, sometimes by the day or by the hour

working class

The people in an industrial economy who depend on wage labor to obtain the necessities of life

capitalist class

People who own the means of production and pay the wages of workers

middle class

People who are either salaried professionals (such as lawyers, educators, and physicians) or office wage workers (such as bank tellers and store clerks)

labor unions

Associations of workers in particular industries established to collectively bargain with capitalists

mass production

The machine manufacture of large quantities of identical products

assembly line

A system of manufacturing in which parts and procedures are added one step at a time through a series of workstations until a finished product is assembled

mass consumption

The purchase of large amounts of mass-produced goods by large numbers of people

international division of labor

The situation in which the labor forces of different countries and world regions play complementary roles in an interdependent global economy