2 Comments

1. Derail says:
   November 29, 2009 at 7:19 am

   Yes.
2. epublius76 says:
   November 29, 2009 at 7:50 am

   Yes, I think it is appropriate, but I think both terms can be applied accurately to the event. The key is determining the time frame.

   The event was a REVOLUTION when looking at a long time frame. For thousands of years people had done things essentially the same way. Travel, for instance, was done by human power (walking), by animal power (riding a horse or in a horse-drawn carriage), or by water (either rowing or using wind power). Yet in a relatively short period of time, the steam powered locomotive and steam powered ship became the main forms of large scale transportation (and the car and airplane were soon to follow). So…between ca. 3000 BC and 1750 AD, not much change…between 1750 and 1900, HUGE change.

   On the other hand, the event can also be looked at as an example of EVOLUTION when viewed from the time frame of 1750 to 1900. One can easily trace the incremental changes made during this period. I think it would be better to call this approach the “EVOLUTION OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION”.