Past simple vs past continuous

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
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Hello, everyone! Would you mind helping me, please? I’m not an English speaker and so, I’ve got this text: "As the industrial revolution converted western societies from agrarian to industrial in the 18th and 19th centuries, photography and lithography contributed to the boom of an advertising industry that integrated typography and imagery together on the page. Simultaneously, typography itself was undergoing a revolution of form and expression that expanded beyond the modest, serif typefaces used in books, to bold, ornamental typefaces used on broadsheet posters.

The arts expanded in purpose – from expression and decoration of an artistic, storytelling nature, to a differentiation of brands and products that the growing middle classes were consuming . Consultancies and trades-groups in the commercial arts were growing and organizing; by 1890, the US had 700 lithographic printing firms employing more than 8000 people. Artistic credit tended to be assigned to the lithographic company, as opposed to the individual artists who usually performed less important jobs." Can you please check whether I used past simple/ past continuous correctly. Your help will be highly appreciated!!!

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They are all used correctly.

You might consider replacing the word ‘converted’ with ‘transformed’. ‘Converted’ is OK and understandable, but I think ‘transformed’ works better.

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As the Industrial Revolution transformed Western societies from agrarian to industrial in the 18th and 19th centuries, photography and lithography contributed to the boom of an advertising industry that integrated typography and imagery on the page. At the same time, typography itself underwent a revolution in form and expression, moving from the humble serifs of books to the bold, ornate fonts of broadsheet posters.

The purpose of art was expanding - from expression and decoration of an artistic, storytelling nature, to differentiation of brands and products consumed by the growing middle classes. Consultancies and trade groups in the commercial arts grew and organised; by 1890 there were 700 lithographic printing firms in the US employing more than 8000 people. Artistic credit tended to be given to the lithographic firm, rather than to the individual artists, who tended to do less important work.

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