Aditi VarshneyAIR 57 · CSE 2022 · 340 wordsTheir whole copy
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British Industrialisation started in 1740 was a result of numerous local & global factors aiding the process.
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Local factors
(1) Technological developments in Britain like Spinning Jenny, sewing machine, mining technology (coal), and steam engine gave a thrust to Industrialisation.
(2) Favourable and stable Polity - Britain being an Island - away from continental wars had a stable polity. Sound policies like encouragement to capitalism and patent laws - encouraged Industrialisation.
(3) Economic factors - Adequate capital from "Commercial Revolution" that preceded Industrial Revolution (favourable Trade Balance - mercantilism), stable Capitalist class - appetite for risk and investment facilitation by Banks.
new energy sources (steam engine, electricity) -> organisational -> division of labour -> Functional Specialisation
(4) Geographical factors - Island - Rich with natural resources (Iron, coal) and Timber. Soothing British climate too aided the revolution.
(5) Educated and ambitious population - with investments made in education & health infrastructure Britain had a favourable working class to adopt new Revolution.
(6) Agricultural Revolution - Enclosure system, investment in technology (eg. Chinese plough) - helped increase productivity -> surplus raw material & surplus labour as workers were available.
Global Factors
(1) Colonies helped tremendously. Served as cheap raw material centres and market for the goods (helped in achieving economies of scale). eg India supplied cotton and indigo at meagre prices.
(2) Demand for cotton textiles in Europe - as their own production was low - owing to unstable polity - wars.
(3) Discovery of new lands which could serve as new areas for trade - gave a thrust to Industrialisation.
(4) Exploitation of economies of colonies further added to the capital -> leading to new inventions in technology -> aiding subsequent phases of Industrialisation in 19th century also.
(5) The inability of other lands to catch up with machinery and technology led to Britain getting an upper hand and continue with its experiments without any race.
Close
However, subsequently Industrialisation has spread to almost every corner - and now we've reached the 4th stage of Industrial Revolution.
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