Department Of Northern Virginia & Virginia Historical Society. (1879) Jacob's 1878 official map of Prince Edward County, Virginia. [Washington: H. Jacob] [Map] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2012592122/.
The industrial revolution began about 1870 as Meiji period leaders decided to catch up with the West. The government built railroads, improved roads, and inaugurated a land reform program to prepare the country for further development.
Industrialization marked a shift to powered, special-purpose machinery, factories and mass production. The iron and textile industries, along with the development of the steam engine, played central roles in the Industrial Revolution, which also saw improved systems of transportation, communication and banking.