The Age of Synergies

Technological innovations in the late nineteenth century.

The invention of the steam engine was followed by so many inventions that Vaclav Smil locates in the late nineteenth century as the origins of an "Age of Synergy", an age defined by the rise of electrical systems, the diffusion of internal combustion engines, a robust science of chemicals and materials, and the emergence of new modes of communication. People could produce more, build higher, and move faster with less human input. The ability to use fossil fuels energized the transition from a pre-industrial to an industrial society causing global demographic, cultural, economical, political and environmental change. This source collection aims to help students understand the connections between innovations in energy uses, how they have influenced each other and what the consequences of technological innovation may be.

This source collection was made by Steven Stegers and Grace Sahota as part of the Europeana DSI4 project, which is co-financed by the European Union Connecting Europe Facility. The collection makes use of sources from Europeana Collection.