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Why Great Britain became the first nation to industrialize
The Industrial Revolution began during the eighteenth century, significantly altering the lives of millions and society, in terms of social order, industry, and technology. Due to many of its advantageous factors over other nations, Great Britain became the first nation to industrialize and prosper. The combination of social, economic, cultural, and political factors allowed Great Britain to be first.
Social factors, which contributed towards the industrialization of Great Britain, included the escalation in population, and the working, middling sort who indulged in commerce, trade, and manufacturing (which greatly contributed towards economic factors as well). Great Britain’s excess population allowed it to prosper greatly; membership of the elite augmented (the elite were considerably broader than the aristocracy), and in turn, increased the wealth. Nobles and gentries owned about 25 percent of the land in Great Britain, significantly greater in percentile than France and the German states. Ranging from wealthy entrepreneurs to barely sufficient workers, the middling sort engaged in actual work, thus the more wealthy, lived nobly as commoners. Great Britain’s excess of middle class merchants gave her the name “nation of shopkeepers.”
Directly funded by society itself, Great Britain’s economy emerged substantial. However its prominent source came from trade and commerce; its nearness to water and network of canals allowed easy transportation. Benefiting from its trade, economy was clearly established as distinguished. However, through history, maintaining the economy had been difficult due to multiple factors, but Great Britain sustained through its banking system and stable currency; only two cities in Europe had developed banks, credit facilities, low interest rates, and insurance companies and London was one.
Another important benefactor towards Great Britain’s economy was the growth in agriculture; new agricultural methods and fertilizers assisted in increasing farm yields. By 1750, nearly 15% of products produced could have been exported, and on average, Great Britain produced 2.5 times more food than France. These methods of cultivating the land contributed towards the British gross national product, reaching its pinnacle point in 1770 at 45 percent (it was then overtaken by manufacturing). Beginning in the 16th century, Great Britain enforced enclosures, transformation of public land into private, more profitable land. Within two centuries, half the arable land had been enclosed, removing much of the small tenant farmers.
As time had progressed, Great Britain emerged less monarchial and more republic. Political authority lain within Parliament, whereas other nations, such as France, maintained traditional monarchial rule. The representative system through Parliament benefited Great Britain in the long run; its government practiced laissez-faire in capitalism rather than sustaining mercantilism. This maneuver in government and politics greatly enhanced their chances at industrialization, for it unbound people from limitations and restrictions of society, as well as the dictation of incompetent rulers.
Life in Great Britain made its industrialization inevitable; however, the social, economic, cultural, and political factors endowed the nation with much of its success, making it the initial target for the Industrial Revolution. Social order, beneficial commerce systems, [next page]