The Industrial Revolution in Britain
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A wide range of possible causes can be suggested for the development of the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain, in advance of comparable development, during roughly the period 1750 1830. Possible reasons range from the nature of English society, to the country's natural abundance of those basic early industrial materials, iron and coal, to the growth of population at a time when agriculture techniques were improving rapidly, freeing labor to move to industrial work in the cities, to the advantages in export trades which Britain had due in part to its large seafaring sector and its naval power. The tendency of economic historians, however, has been to identify one or a few of these factors as critical, while relegating others to a secondary status as contributory, perhaps, but not necessary.1 In particular, two schools of thought may be identified which put forth quite different arguments as to the driving force behind the Industrial Revolution. One school of thought, associated with Rostow, holds that exports were the "leading sector" in Britain's growth.2 Rostow, indeed, applied the terminology and concepts of contemporary development economics, as interpreted by the export led school, to the development of Britain.3 An alternative view, argued recently by Eversley, but for which roots can perhaps be found in Adam Smith, argues that ________ 1D. E. C. Eversley, "The Home Market and Economic Growth in England, 1750 1780," in E. L. Jones and and
. . .
rding to the export engine theorists, provided the ________
6J. D. Chambers and G. E. Mingey, The Agricultural Revolution (New York: Schocken Books, 1966), 54 75; for enclosure see 77ff.
7John, 238 39. first kick to the English economic engine. Because of expanded sales in international markets, farm output rose as prices fell, so incomes at least held steady. With food prices dropping while incomes remained relatively high, a greater margin was made available for either non food consumption or economic investment.
An alternative view, presented for example by Eversley, might be called "demand side" economics.8 It also starts with an environment of falling farm prices and steady wages. In this environment, the gradual overall growth of the economy leads to disproportionately rapid growth in the size and spending power of the nascent economic "middle class." This was the segment of the population which had significant reserve spending power after purchasing necessities, but which lacked the wealth to spend a substantial proportion of its reserve on luxury goods and services.
What this section of the population did buy in substantial amounts was what might be called the "decencies" soap, cloth
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2555
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page)
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