A compilation of short films for schools from the BBC Two programme Why the Industrial Revolution Happened Here.

Professor Jeremy Black examines one of the most extraordinary periods in British history, the Industrial Revolution. He explains the unique economic, social and political conditions that, by the 19th century, led to Britain becoming the richest nation on earth. It was a time that transformed the way people think, work and play for ever.

He traces the unprecedented explosion of new ideas and technological inventions that transformed Britain's agricultural society into an increasingly industrial and urbanised one. The programme explores two fascinating questions - why the Industrial Revolution happened when it did and why it happened in Britain.

Professor Black explores the reasons behind this transformation, from Britain's coal reserves which gave it a source of power to the rise of a liberal political system - with engineers and industrialists able to meet and share ideas and inventions. He explains the impact geniuses like Josiah Wedgwood had on the consumer revolution and how improvements to Britain's transport network transformed the spread of goods and ideas around the country. Show less