The Industrial Revolution that occurred in Britain was the first Industrial Revolution that took place between 1760 to 1840 and the second industrial revolution took place between 1870 and 1914 and it took place in many countries including France, Germany, Italy etc. One of the major reasons for the Industrial Revolution to occur in Britain was the transfer of power from the crown to the Parliament after the civil war in 1688 which paved the way for the very first time for a country to have a set of laws and an economic system which makes the environment conducive for sustaining industrial revolution.
If we take a look at the Revolution from an academician’s perspective then we can highlight some of the reasons due to which the industrial revolution took place in Britain, they were-
The European Staes fought against each other quite frequently and by the 18th century they were rising colonial powers of the world and now the race was to become a global superpower, now Britain had a smaller population compared to its counterparts such as Spain and France so to keep up with them and to fight their large and perennial armies it had to keep up the production and this desperate need incentivised the invention of labour-saving devices, which played a key role in the revolution.
b)The scientific revolution in Europe-
As it is quite evident that the industrial revolution took place after the period of renaissance or the age of enlightenment, during this period scientific pioneers like Copernicus had challenged the norms and traditions of the society by living the theory of heliocentricity which claimed that the Earth went around the Sun and we were not at the centre,Copernicus with this hypothesis had challenged tradition, the authority of the scriptures and the established views in the universities and the church. In the coming times, Europe became more open to ideas with the prominent works of scientists like Galileo Galilei, René Descartes and Issac Newton. The society with a scientific temperament became more open to ideas and it formed a fecund ground for innovations and ideas.
c)Agricultural revolution in Britain-
The British Agricultural Revolution refers to the unparalleled rise in agricultural production in Britain from the 17th to mid-19th century.
In Britain farmers such as Jethro Tull devised a new method of sowing seeds by drill rather than dispersing them by hand saving labor and contributing to higher agricultural yields.
Discovery of new crops such as corn, tomato and especially potato was an asset to them, potato with its high caloric value, easier growing methods and maintenance, was vastly helpful in curbing hunger. With increased food production the population of Britain could be fed with less effort than ever before. This led to the decline of the agricultural share of the labour force and added to the urban workforce on which industrialisation depended.
d)Government policies-
During the 18th century, Britain had a constitutional monarchy and the nation was politically more stable than its contemporaries like France and Spain. This allowed for better policy formation and implementation. The government also rolled out policies like patent and enclosure of farmlands which gave a push to the revolution, it also allowed the inflow of immigrants which led to the enhancement of skill and development of the industries.
e)Political Influence over India and other colonies
By the mid 18th century Britain had a considerable number of colonies and India being one of the prominent ones, their victory in the battle of Plassey and Buxar had given them control over major parts of India especially the cotton industries and he tasing centre go Bengal. Control over the human, natural and mineral resources of the Indian subcontinent firmed the backbone of the British cotton industry. The colonies were the source of the raw material and also the human force and also the market for the product.
f)Innovations in technology-
Innovation and new technology was obviously the key factor in the success of the Industrial Revolution. The environment in Britain was not favourable for growing cotton so it got its raw material for its industries from its colonies like India and United States, But the industry developed over there not by the raw material but by the introduction of new technologies such as the spinning jenny and the water frame. Inventions like these made it possible for them to establish factories that made it possible to process the raw material into the final cloth at a single point, this led to the factory system which ushered the industrial revolution. The other invention which made an impact on the industrial revolution was the steam engine by James Watt, it powered the textile industry and also gave the steam-powered carriage which enabled transportation.
g)Availability of coal and iron-
Britain had a high amount of coal and iron reserves which proved to be valuable for the industries. Coal was used in large scale to smelt iron, power the machines in factories and for transportation. All of this drove to more efficient methods of coal mining. continuous efforts were made to make iron cheaper by various methods and so that could stop importing iron from northern Europe. This cheaper and stronger iron galvanised every major industry including construction, tools, shipbuilding, textile inventions, steam engines and railroads.
h)Financial innovation: Capitalism-
Britain had various financial institutions in places such as the central banks, county banks and stock exchanges which financed new ventures. The rise of Capitalists increased the need for the opportunity of investment and growth; and availability of circulating capital for everyday running. Specialist banks, with knowledge of certain industries and areas, expanded and took full advantage of this situation.
i)Transport Systems-
In Britain the transport system was a rudimentary one in the early 18th century but with the rising economy the need to develop roads increased and this led to an articulate network of roads and this task was overtaken by small groups who in return of their services I.e. roads took toll taxes later it was undertaken by the government. The government also developed the canal system which became popular since it was economical and reliable. The invention of the steam engine and iron technologies later powered the transportation industry. The challenge of transportation which could hinder the progress of the Industrial Revolution was thus finally overcome.
The industrial revolution did not take place in Asian countries such as India or China, because they did not have the scientific revolution or the age of enlightenment, as this gave the Europeans the grounds for innovation and scientific exploration. Also, the Indian subcontinent was divided into various princely states which were under a constant state of conflict and this did not provide a very conducive environment for an industrial revolution.
Although to answer the question that why did the industrial revolution occur in Britain and not in France, Germany or India, countries with the same resources because the course of history is far more difficult to understand than the theory of relativity or the space-time continuum, for the course of History is decided by Human beings, who are the most unpredictable thing on the face of earth.
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