What are the ethnocentric arguments for why the industrial revolution happened first in britain?

Read Online (Free) relies on page scans, which are not currently available to screen readers. To access this article, please contact JSTOR User Support . We'll provide a PDF copy for your screen reader.

With a personal account, you can read up to 100 articles each month for free.

Already have an account? Log in

Monthly Plan

• Access everything in the JPASS collection
• Read the full-text of every article
• Download up to 10 article PDFs to save and keep

Yearly Plan

• Access everything in the JPASS collection
• Read the full-text of every article
• Download up to 120 article PDFs to save and keep

Log in through your institution

Purchase a PDF

Purchase this article for $29.00 USD.

Purchase this issue for $94.00 USD. Go to Table of Contents.

How does it work?

1. Select a purchase option.
2. Check out using a credit card or bank account with PayPal.
3. Read your article online and download the PDF from your email or your account.

journal article

Review of Research in Education

Vol. 12 (1985)

, pp. 387-415 (29 pages)

Published By: American Educational Research Association

https://doi.org/10.2307/1167154

https://www.jstor.org/stable/1167154

Read and download

Log in through your school or library

Alternate access options

For independent researchers

Read Online

Read 100 articles/month free

Subscribe to JPASS

Unlimited reading + 10 downloads

Purchase article

$29.00 - Download now and later

Journal Information

Review of Research in Education (RRE) is a periodical volume that provides an overview and analysis of selected areas of relevant research through critical and synthesizing essays. The editor of RRE, in close consultation with its editorial board, plays a critical role in reviewing and defining the current state of knowledge in the field. Each volume is designed around a particular subject.

Publisher Information

The American Educational Research Association (AERA) is concerned with improving the educational process by encouraging scholarly inquiry related to education and by promoting the dissemination and practical application of research results. AERA is the most prominent international professional organization with the primary goal of advancing educational research and its practical application. Its 20,000 members are educators; administrators; directors of research, testing or evaluation in federal, state and local agencies; counselors; evaluators; graduate students; and behavioral scientists. The broad range of disciplines represented by the membership includes education, psychology, statistics, sociology, history, economics, philosophy, anthropology, and political science.

Rights & Usage

This item is part of a JSTOR Collection.
For terms and use, please refer to our Terms and Conditions
Review of Research in Education © 1985 American Educational Research Association
Request Permissions

The Industrial Revolution began first in Britain in the 1700s.  Historians have identified several reasons for why the Industrial Revolution began first in Britain, including: the effects of the Agricultural Revolution, large supplies of coal, geography of the country, a positive political climate, and a vast colonial empire.

The Agricultural Revolution was a major event in world history and had a profound effect on life in Britain.  For example, many historians consider the Agricultural Revolution to be a major cause of the Industrial Revolution, especially in terms of when and how it began in Britain.  For instance, the Industrial Revolution began due in part to an increase in food production, which was the key outcome of the Agricultural Revolution.  Food production increased due to new innovations and inventions, including: the discovery of crop rotation by Charles Townshend and the invention of the seed drill by Jethro Tull.  The increased food production allowed Britain’s population to also increase which benefitted the Industrial Revolution in two ways.  First, the increased population helped produce workers for the factories and mines that were so important to the Industrial Revolution.  Second, the larger population created a market for goods to sold to which helped the owners of the factories to make a profit off of the sale of their goods.

Agricultural Revolution

The next main reason for why Britain was the first to industrialize was the large supplies of coal present in the country.  Coal was a necessary ingredient in the industrial process as it fueled the steam engines that were used in trains, ships and all other sorts of machinery.  Not only did Britain have large supplies of the resource, but it was also easily obtainable.  Unlike other European nations, coal in Britain was relatively close to the surface and was therefore relatively easy for miners to find and extract it.  The mining of coal became even easier after the invention of the steam engine by Thomas Newcomen, which was originally used to pump water out of coal mines.

Canals were very important to the Industrial Revolution.

The third main reason for Britain’s industrialization was the basic geography of the country.  An important aspect of early industrialization was the ability of people to transport goods and resources easily across the country.  For example, goods produced in factories needed to be able to be transported cheaply and reliably to market so that they could be sold for a profit.  At the same time, factory owners needed to have raw materials shipped to their factories so that they could be turned into consumer goods.  At the time Britain had some of the best rivers for easily and affordably transporting goods and resources.  Improvements in shipbuilding and the introduction of the steamboat furthered Britain’s dominance in this area.  As well, as the Industrial Revolution began in the country, several entrepreneurs, constructed canal systems that helped expand Britain’s transportation capabilities.   As such, the geography of the country allowed industrialization to flourish because it made transporting goods easy for the factory owners.

The next major reason for Britain being the first country to industrialize was the political climate of the time.  In the 1700s, Britain had a stable government after having gone through civil war and revolution in the decades before.  In contrast, France underwent its own revolution in the late 1780s and 1790s (French Revolution), meaning it was not concerned with industrialization and was instead focused on its own internal conflict.  As well, the British government was open to the ideas of laissez-faire capitalism which were necessary for industrialization to occur.  For example, the British government promoted free trade policies with its neighbouring countries which helped create markets for British produced goods.  Also, the government implemented the Enclosure Acts, as part of the Enclosure Movement, which promoted private property, and allowed wealthy land owners to increase their farms.  This then led to the mass movement of smaller farmers to towns and cities in search of work.  Finally, the British government supported other aspects of capitalism, which helped entrepreneurs to create wealth by owning and operating factories and mines.  For example, in the early years of the Industrial Revolution, the government allowed child labor and did not restrict owners in terms of rules and regulations, such as: minimum wage laws or worker rights.  As such, the political climate created a system in which wealthy business-minded people were able to easily start companies.

The final reason for why Britain was the first country to industrialize was due in large part to its vast colonial empire.  When the Industrial Revolution began, Britain was in the midst of the Age of Imperialism, which saw European nations explore and dominate vast areas of land around the world.  Britain had the largest empire out of all of the countries participating in the Age of Imperialism.  For example, by the 1700s, Britain had control over areas such as: North America, South Africa, Egypt, India and Australia.  This is important because it gave Britain access to huge amounts of natural resources that it could then use in the factories that developed during the Industrial Revolution.  As well, the colonies also gave Britain exclusive trading rights to hundreds of millions of people.  This resulted in Britain having a massive market for its goods to be sold in.  For example, during the Industrial Revolution, Britain collected cotton from India, transported it to Britain, where it was turned into cloth and clothing and then sold the finished goods back to India.

Workers in the Industrial Revolution

In conclusion, historians have identified several reasons for the development of industrialization in Britain, and for why Britain was such an ideal spot for the Industrial Revolution to begin.  These reasons include: the effects of the Agricultural Revolution, large supplies of coal, geography of the country, a positive political climate, and a vast colonial empire.  They all combined to allow Britain to have the necessary conditions that caused industrialization to flourish.

INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION RESOURCES

Adam Smith - PowerPoint with Cloze Notes

Adam Smith - Reading, Questions and Key

Karl Marx - PowerPoint with Cloze Notes (25 Slides/Pages on his life and ideas!)

Industrial Revolution Child Labor - Questions and Key (8 Pages)

Industrial Revolution Child Labor - PowerPoint with Cloze Notes (64 Total Slides)

Industrial Revolution in the USA - PowerPoint with Notes Copy (74 Total Slides)

Industrial Revolution Impacts - PowerPoint with Notes Copy (62 Total Slides)

Industrial Revolution Causes - PowerPoint with Notes Copy (44 Total Slides)

Industrial Revolution Working Conditions - PowerPoint with Notes Copy (36 Total Slides)

Industrial Revolution Why Britain Was First - PowerPoint with Notes Copy (54 Total Slides)

Industrial Revolution Living Conditions - PowerPoint with Notes Copy (30 Total Slides)

Industrial Revolution Inventions and Inventors - PowerPoint with Notes Copy

What resources did Britain have that led to the Industrial Revolution?

What are some Eurocentric reasons as to why industrialization might have happened first in Europe?

What is a positive feedback loop What did it continually lead to in Britain?

Where did the Industrial Revolution start?