Industrial revolution refers to a period of fundamental economic transformation in agriculture, transportation, economic policies and textile and metal manufacture. These basic changes began in England earlier than 18th century. It was a period of inventions and innovations in the major sectors of her economy. From British, the rest of the world took over soon everybody started embracing the transformations. The revolution was an era of factory growth that introduced machines quickly faced out manual or hand labor. This resulted into an increased output of machine-produced goods. This revolution not only improved the productive capacity of England but also brought a complete overhaul to the social status of the English people. The reasons behind the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in England have brought a lot of research. However, the discussion of the pre-industrial factors and conditions in Britain can give a better foundation for answering this question. (Edgar, Hackett, Jewsbury, Molony and Gordon 5-8)
There are three main pre-industrial factors that laid foundations for the Industrial Revolution in Britain. The first factor is the Agricultural Revolution. This revolution took place long before 1750s, and it brought new and improved farming methods such land enclosure systems. This system outdated ‘common lands’ forcing the small farmers out of their villages into cities. Secondly, the existence of cottage industries provided a preamble environment for the industrial revolution in England. Textile industry, which had grown roots in this country, played a key role to the Industrial Revolution in England. Farmers had home-based small scale industries which supplemented their income during dry seasons. Men, women and children applied their skills at different stages of cloth production. They participated in weaving, spinning and dying the wool to producing clothing products. Finally, the increased trading activities created a high demand for the manufactured goods. People invested their surplus income into trade and this changed the economic trends in England. As a result, more manufactured goods were necessary to satisfy the needs of the English citizens. The three factors made England and Britain as a whole unique to other nations. They therefore laid the building blocks to the Industrial Revolution in England ahead of the entire world. (Moffit 230)
There are several reasons that put England ahead of the world for Industrial revolution. They include large labor supply, abundant natural resources and food, favorable government policies and Britain’s prosperous middle class.
The first reason that triggered off the industrial revolution in England is large labor supply from her high population. The British population steadily rose due to the improved agricultural activities that increased food production. Since industrial revolution was a transitional change that replaced the traditional industries; it required a lot of labor supply to achieve this. It is also worth noting that at the onset of this revolution, many machines had not been invented. This implies that the industrial activities had to initially rely on human labor. Therefore, it readily acquired this labor from the rich population. Besides, the Agrarian revolution had moved many people to cities. These people had acquired a lot of skills from the small-scale textile cottage industries which they readily applied in the Industrial Revolution. (Duiker and Spielvogel 542-545)
Secondly, Britain had a lot of natural resources and food at its disposal. It had large deposits of coal and iron. As iron provided the raw material for building key industrial structures, coal was very crucial in providing the energy that the machines needed run. Coal also aided the production of iron. Again, Britain had many colonies all over the world which supplied it with raw materials. For instance, India supplied her with plenty of cotton that she needed for her massive textile industry. Apart from mineral deposits, Britain had good and reliable transportation system. Her good waterways, which includes deep harbors and rivers facilitated the transportation of raw materials and finished products to and from the industries. For example, human made waterways and network of canals improved water transportation in England. The British road transport was also boosted by Macadam’s discovery of ‘macadam’ roads in 1800s. John Macadam reinforced these roads with a layer of large stones which improved their drainage. He also added a smooth layer of crushed stones which helped in discouraging muddy surfaces during rainy seasons. (Moffit 232)
Railway transport had also begun in Britain by the late 1700s. By 1820, more efforts were inevitable in the sector and Engineer George Stephenson begun much work on the world’s first railroad line. This line linked Yorkshire coalfields to the Stockton port on the North Sea. This line officially became operational by 1825 and four locomotives used it. Another railroad that linked the port of Liverpool to the inland city of Manchester also opened officially by 1830. These locomotives facilitated the transportation of the bulky coal from their mine fields to the industries. Furthermore, rail transport made it easy to transport people and finished products over long distances. All these spurred industrial revolution in England.
Louis Moffit emphasizes the role of the British government in supporting this revolution. He explains that the British National Assembly enacted legislations that favored business investment and protection. These legislations created a very humble environment for investment. Investors were given tax reliefs and subsidies. In addition to these laws, the government established a good banking system which advanced credit facilities to potential investors. This facilitated investment in machinery and expansion of operations a high possibility. He adds that, long before the onset of the industrial revolution, British enjoyed political stability than their neighbors. Despite fighting many wars, all of them were fought outside the British land. They also enjoyed a military and political success which became a motivating factor in this revolution. They rarely lost battles. (Moffit 235)
Finally, British started embracing technological advancement with the takeoff of the Agrarian Revolution. By early 1700, a lot of research was gaining ground in the textile industry. There was a flare up of creativity that spurred inventions and innovation in this industry. This led to famous inventions of the spinning jenny, the coke smelting and the steam engine which marked the beginning of the industrial revolution and the mass prosperity in England. The industrial revolution seriously needed such creativity which England already had. This set a very good pace for this revolution.
Works Cited
Moffit, Louis W. England on the Eve of Industrial Revolution. reprint, illustrated. Oxfordshire:
Routledge, 2013.
Robert R. Edgar, Neil J. Hackett, George F. Jewsbury, Barbara Molony, Matthew S. Gordon.
Civilizations Past & Present: From 1300, Volume 2. 12. London: Pearson/Longman, 2007, 2007.
William J. Duiker, Jackson J. Spielvogel. World History. 7. Boston: Cengage Learning, 2011.
