Industrialisation refers to the emergence of machine production, based on the use of inanimate power resources like steam or electricity. In traditional civilizations, most people were engaged in working on the land due to low technological development. However, in industrial societies, a large majority of the employed population work in factories, offices or shops rather than agriculture.

Urbanisation is usually associated with industrialisation because over 90 per cent of people in the west live in towns and cities, where most jobs are to be found and new job opportunities are created. The concentration of industries in urban areas naturally leads to population movement towards cities.

However, the textbook notes that industrialisation and urbanisation often occur together but not always so. They are linked processes but not inseparable.

Both processes imply changes not just in production systems, technological innovations, and density of settlements, but also 'a way of life' as observed by Wirth (1938). In India, sociologist M.S.A. Rao described how villages situated near an industrial town experience significant urban impact. When industrial towns like Bhilai come up, some villages are totally uprooted while lands of others are partially acquired, leading to an influx of immigrant workers and creating new demands for housing and markets.