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The Industrial Revolution in Great Britain and its implications for the rest of the world

The Industrial Revolution began in the eighteenth century in Britain. The revolution impacted not only the industrial aspects but also the social, economic, and cultural aspects of life. Before the Industrial Revolution, a large amount of manpower was required to produce goods; most of the work was done in small workshops and products were mostly handmade. Machinery was operated by human labor or animals.

Several factors favored Britain’s circumstances for being the birthplace of the Revolution. One such factor is Britain’s enormous amounts of coal and iron ore. The Industrial Revolution was characterized by the invention of new machines which were run by resources such as coal. As the demand for goods increased, industries like textile and transportation were transformed. Previously, clothes and other textile products were made in the home, but the Industrial Revolution mechanized the system so that several threads were woven into a cloth simultaneously.

Even though Britain tried to keep its machinery and expert labor exclusive, the Industrial Revolution spread to Western European countries and several regions of the US. One reason that the Industrial Revolution began in Britain rather than other European countries like France was its abundance of coal and lack of wood. Since France had plenty of wood, it did not feel the need to exploit any other resources. At the time Britain had become a hub of domestic and international trade, and the need for fast and easy production had risen, therefore a revolution was quite inevitable. Countries like China often value their relationships with other people. On the other hand, European countries and the US were more individualized, hence, driving out the labor of jobs was not much of a concern. (Encyclopedia)

The Industrial Revolution had well ingrained itself in Western Europe and part of the United States in the mid-nineteenth century. The US led the world in industrial processes by the twentieth century. The Industrial Revolution reached the US during the early nineteenth century, as demand for resources increased in the US around the same time. At the time, exporting machinery and labor knowledge outside of England was illegal; therefore, Samuel Slater learned all that could be learned in England about the new industrial processes and moved back to the United States. (History)

In countries like India, people were often found to be rigid and unwilling to let go of the old ways. However, in countries like Britain, the need for technological advancement was recognized and immediately acted upon. The Industrial Revolution spread to other Western European countries, primarily perhaps because of the proximity and increasing trade of goods. As the US expanded, there was a readiness to improve and advance. In China, access to technology was confined to the elite, in Europe it was available to everyone without any distinctions.

The Industrial Revolution in Europe resulted from ecological, socioeconomic, and cultural needs which resulted in technological advancements that practically changed the world. Industrial processes became more refined and faster, and it had an impact on social and economic aspects.

Works Cited

Enclyclopedia. Industrial Revolution. <http://www.encyclopedia.com/history/modern-europe/british-and-irish-history/industrial-revolution>.

History, US. The First American Factories. <http://www.ushistory.org/us/25d.asp>.

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