Chapter 23 : Age of Industry The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain during the late 1700s. Changes in the way land was used and new farming methods increased productivity. Farmers displaced by rural changes went to the cities to find work in factories. Skilled inventors developed new technology, and entrepreneurs with money invested in new or expanded ventures. The availability of such natural resources as coal, iron, and water power led to the use of power-driven machines in factories. Industrialization spread to the rest of Europe and to North America, creating a new social order. A growing middle class of prosperous factory owners and managers began to exert political power, while an even larger working class pressed for reforms to improve working conditions and their daily lives.