Turning Points in History Turning points in history can mean a change in the way things have been done in the past, sometimes for the better and other times for the worse. Two major turning points in history were the industrial revolution and also the First World War. Both have had political, social and cultural impacts. The Industrial Revolution was a time of great change and greater efficiency. Goods would no longer be produced exclusively by means of livestock and agriculture, but now with the use of machinery and factories. Technology was beginning to increase along with food supply and population. However, this increase in population would have a major impact on the social aspect of that time. Urbanization was becoming much more widespread. Cities were becoming extremely crowded and there was an increase in disease and harsh child labor. Even though child labor would be somewhat reduced thanks to unions, the Industrial Revolution still contained both positive and negative results. World War I was another major turning point in history. This turning point was in the way war was fought and how it changed due to the technological advances that occurred during this time in the 1900s. The war broke out in the Balkans where the Ottoman Empire had once maintained control. Both industrialization and technology have contributed to advances in weapons development. This was the devastating cause of millions of deaths in the First World War. The war was now fought in the trenches and machine guns, tanks and grenades were used. There was certainly a turning point in how the war would be fought. However, the most important turning point in the war had to be the involvement of the United States. The United States tried to remain neutral during the war but ended up joining the Allies. Thanks to the intervention of the United States, however, the Allies received the help they needed to win the war. In conclusion we can see that revolutions and wars can lead to positive and negative turning points.