What the exam asks
This topic bridges two major Course and Exam Description (CED) themes: Technology and Innovation (TEC) and Economic Systems (ECN), primarily using the reasoning process of causation.
- Multiple Choice (Section I, Part A): Expect charts showing soaring coal or steel output, maps of transcontinental railroads, or 19th-century illustrations of steamships and telegraph cables. Questions will ask for the causes or economic consequences of the trend shown.
- Short Answer (Section I, Part B): Question 3 (non-text stimulus) frequently uses maps or data tables from 1750–1900 to ask how transportation or communication technology altered trade or migration.
- DBQ and LEQ (Section II): You will use specific technologies (Bessemer steel, steamships, telegraphy) as concrete evidence to support arguments about industrialization, economic imperialism, or global migration.
Core ideas
The fossil fuels revolution
Before 1750, human societies relied on wood, wind, water, and muscle power. The Industrial Revolution broke this ceiling by harnessing energy stored in fossil fuels:
- Coal and the steam engine: Refined by James Watt in the late 18th century, the coal-fired steam engine converted heat into mechanical work. Unlike waterwheels, steam-powered factories could be built anywhere, and steam engines could be mounted on locomotives and ships.
- Oil and the internal combustion engine: Developed in the late 19th century, the internal combustion engine burned refined petroleum (oil) and gasoline. It was lighter and more efficient than the steam engine, laying the foundation for automobiles, airplanes, and diesel-powered shipping.
First vs. Second Industrial Revolution
The course distinguishes between the first wave of industrialization and the Second Industrial Revolution in the second half of the 19th century, so be ready to tell them apart.