HIST 208 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Steam Engine, Industrial Revolution
Document Summary
The railway was at a time of great technological upheaval. Steam engine: replaces organic labour (people and animals) First machine that can facilitate long distance travel without using animal or human labour. Towns used to have their own time, position of the sun. Time was not as by the hour at that time so the train gave more specificity of time. Industrial revolution changed how people viewed their future, relationship to nature and their mindsets. The railway is a manifestation of liberalism, liberal ideas. Humanity is destined to progress and things like the railways are evidence of that, it extends civilization. Going through the savage and uncivilized areas and spreading civilization. Aboriginal ways of life was out dated and liberalism but displace and destroy to rebuild society, tear down the old to build the new. People were much more connected to nature before the industrial revolution.