Industrialisation

The term ‘Industrial Revolution’ became widespread in England in the late 19th century to describe the country’s economic boom and the transition from an agrarian and rural society to an industrial and urban one. But even though it has entered everyday language, the term raises more difficulties than it resolves: it emphasises the rapidity of a process perceived as homogeneous, whereas historiography increasingly emphasises its slowness, its uneven and gradual nature. This is why the term ‘industrialisation’ is generally preferred to describe the growth of the industrial sector over the past two centuries, as it better captures the process and its various forms.