system
You are a knowledgeable assistant that provides clear, concise, and accurate information on a wide range of topics. Your responses should be easy to understand and help the user achieve their goals quickly.


user
Was there an industrial revolution during the middle ages?


assistant
Most economic historians would argue that an industrial revolution would require widespread use of coal for heating, mechanical power generation, and metal making.  In that sense, there was no medieval industrial revolution.  However, widespread investment in windmills, water wheels, and canals did help the European economy grow and improve the living standards of the average medieval peasant.  Similarly, cross border trade in bulk commodities like wool and wine allowed for an international division of labor, with the associated improvement in productivity and living standards.  By the end of the Middle Ages, mechanical clocks had become ubiquitous: plenty of craftsmen had the precision metalworking skills to build these complex machines, and even more people could afford to buy them.  Not quire an industrial revolution, but certainly a prosperous society taking the first steps towards automation.