The Second Industrial Revolution Study Notes

Science and Technology Change Industry

• The Bessemer Process: Developed by Henry Bessemer in 1856, this method created lighter and more durable steel, drastically increasing production.

• Innovations: Alfred Nobel invented dynamite (1866), while electricity replaced steam power through the inventions of Michael Faraday (dynamo) and Thomas Edison (light bulb, 1870).

Improved Production

• Efficiency: The introduction of interchangeable parts and the assembly line (early 1900s) streamlined manufacturing and lowered prices for consumers.

Advances in Transportation and Communication

• Transportation: Rapid progress was made with steamships, railroads, the internal combustion engine, and the mass production of automobiles by Henry Ford. The Wright Brothers achieved the first flight in 1903.

• Communication: Connectivity jumped forward with Samuel Morse’s telegraph, the Trans-Atlantic Cable (1860s), Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone (1876), and Guglielmo Marconi’s radio (1890s).

The Rise of Big Business

• Monopolies: Huge capital requirements led to stock sales and the formation of monopolies by figures like John D. Rockefeller (oil) and Andrew Carnegie (steel).

Medicine and Health

• Germ Theory: Louis Pasteur linked microbes to disease, leading to vaccines and pasteurization.

• Healthcare Improvements: The use of anesthesia (1840s), Florence Nightingale’s hygiene standards, and Joseph Lister’s antiseptics reduced death rates.

Urbanization and Labor

• City Life: Urban areas gained infrastructure like sewage systems and streetlights, but slums remained overcrowded and unsanitary.

• Labor Movements: Workers formed unions to strike for better conditions. Governments eventually passed laws to regulate hours, ban child labor, and provide disability insurance and pensions.

Standard of Living

• Social Trends: Despite rising standards of living and better public education, a large gap persisted between social classes, and women earned significantly less than men.