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At first the power for the machines was produced by coal. This was expensive, especially for countries which had few coal mines. There followed attempts to make machines work by using an oil such as petrol .
Daimler, a German engineer, finally succeeded. Towards the end of the last century, it was discovered that electricity could used to drive motors.
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The electric dynamo is worked by a coal-burning steam engine ; it can be worked by an oil engine too. But countries which have waterfalls use the force of the water to create enough power to work the machines that produce electricity.
In several countries , articificial dams have helped tp produce very cheap electricity. An example is the volta Dam at Akosombo in Ghana .
Before the changes in textile industry took place, great changes occurred too in farming methods. Men found better ways og breading sheep, cattle, pigs and poultry.
Because land was scarce , the system of rotation of crops came into greater use. As a result, crop yields increased greatly.
Changes took place too, in methods of transport, especially in Britain. Now men began to use canals to carry goods by water, and engineers, including John Mecadam, built better roads with hard surfaces and firm foundations.
All these changes meant a complete revolution in the British way of life. It was in Britain that the Industrial Revolution began, but the effect of these changes was felt not only in Britain. Gradually this revolution spread through Europe and the world.