Why Did The Industrial Revolution Happen First in Britain?

The industrial Revolution began in Great Britain almost 250 years ago, in the 1760s. Within a half century it started to spread, first to northwestern Europe and the newly formed United States. The Industrial Revolution consisted of the application of new sources of power to the production process, achieved with transmission equipment necessary to apply this power to manufacturing which involved an increased scale of human organization that facilitated specialization and coordination at pre-industrial levels groupings rarely contemplated. The key invention in Europe’s industrial revolution was the steam engine, which harnessed the energy potential of coal. Later, the industrial revolution also used electric and internal combustion motors and petroleum as well as coal. This revolution, progressively introduced steam or other power to the production process and steadily increased the proportion of the process accomplished by equipment without direct human guidance.
The organizational facet of the industrial revolution was initially symbolized by the factory, but the organizational principles spread beyond the factory itself. The two central features of industrialization were the revolution in technology and organization of production, which yielded one clear result of a great increase in the total of goods and individual worker’s output. The revolutionary quality of industrialization is particularly obvious in the world context. British industrialization proceeded from earlier patterns of economic and social changes. The steam-driven equipment denoted a real shift, but one that occurred within an already dynamic context. England had been developing capitalism for several centuries and many businesses invested in long-term projects, especially in foreign trade. It is important to mention, as well, that growing interest in science, rising popular literacy, and increased consumer interest were a few of many other changes in Western Europe that predated and prepared the industrial revolution.
Britain also witnessed an agricultural revolution where farmers were the most productive of that century. There was an increasingly use of different methods of farming and experimenting with innovative types of vegetables and grains. In addition, the practice of manure and use of new fertilizers contributed greatly to the agricultural changes. In the 1700s, eighty percent of the population of England earned its income from the land, but around a century later, that figure dropped to forty percent. Consequently, these advances created high productivity and low food prices making these products of easier access. This not only meant that an ordinary British family wouldn’t have to spend all their hard earned money on food, but that they would also have funds left to spend towards other goods such as manufactured goods as well.
As a result of the population’s growth, which nearly doubled as living conditions and health care improved, during that same time, Britain faced an out of control pressure to produce even more manufactured goods. In contrast to other European countries’ growth of 50 to 80 percent, the British population grew 280 percent between 1550 and 1820. Consequently, cities started to be built and soon enough urbanization started its process, which might have played an important role to the industrial revolution advent. Most of the British urbanization happed between 1750 and 1800.
The industrial revolution process also received a contribution from the enclosure movement. With the expansion of the British population, peasant resistance to industrialization became essentially a concern and was greatly eliminated. The enclosure movement also helped create more commercial interest which made the British people pioneer almost everywhere in removing obstacles to the growth of capitalism.
With the cotton textile incredible advances, it became the most important industry at that time. Consequently, the cottage industry system was pushed to develop even more turning into a potent industry in Britain. The process of how it worked in the beginning involved merchant delivering raw cotton at a household, next the cotton would be cleaned and after having worked it, the material would be taken to a spin machine and turned into yarn or thread. When it was time for the merchant to collect the material more raw cotton would be dropped off. Many households were part of this process at the same time, and that allowed the manufacturers to have enough thread. Some of the households involved in this process had for function to also turn the woven into cloth.
There is no doubt that the textile industry development played an essential role in Britain's industrialization, which was the first to utilize the factory structure. The raw materials utilized were the same ones used in the domestic system, mostly wool and cotton. Consequently, the manufacturing time was shortening and there were no further issues in making larger amounts of fabric in less time and for much less money. With time, machines became more advanced and started taking raw material directly in order to create fabric. As time goes, the high demand production resulted in a constant shortage of thread, and this made it essential to seek out for better ways to advance the spinning of cotton. Later on, a cotton-spinning machine is created, more specifically at 1765, by James Hargreaves and is named Jenny. The spinning machine jenny is a multi-spool spinning frame. This machine offered an ability to produce more in less time reducing the amount of work needed to produce yarn, with only a worker producing eight or more spools at once. In 1793, Whitney builds the cotton gin which is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, a job that otherwise would be performed meticulously by hand. The fibers were processed into clothing or other cotton goods, and any undamaged seeds were used to grow more cotton or to produce cotton seed oil and meal. During a similar time, another invention takes place. The water frame, a new kind of spinning machine, is created by Richard Arkwright. Previously, the machine named “jenny” with up to twenty-four spindles mounted on a sliding carriage was very simple and easy to operate. Frequently, a woman would move the carriage with one hand and with the other hand she would move the wheel to supply power. Consequently there was no way for the weaver, a man usually, to keep up with the production of yarn. However, an incredible and impossible, at that time, amount of yarn was needed making necessary the creation of a new and more powerful machine. The water frame, on the other hand, worked through a different principle. Manufactured in 1790, this new machine was build with a capacity of hundreds spindles. This machine needed more power and water, requiring this way several mills and innumerous workers. As a result, cotton goods became much cheaper and were accessible to any social class. Cotton was comfortable to wear and because it was cheap, it became one of the most preferred products with millions of undergarments in demand. Even though such creations made the production more prosperous than ever, the real step forward came with the improvement in steam power, which was developed in England by Thomas Savery and Thomas Newcomen. Their new invention was able to pump water from coal mines, yet it wasn’t fast. In order to achieve even faster results, another invention was created. James Watt, a Scottish engineer, invented an engine that could pump three times more water than the previous engine could. Built in 1712, Watt’s steam engine could power trains and machines by making them stronger. The Watt steam engine was alternatively known as the Boulton. This engine functioned by using steam at a pressure just above the atmospheric pressure. In addition to this invention, Watt also made a rotator machine which could turn a shaft and drive machinery to power other machines spinning and weaving cotton. Because this machine used coal instead of water, it made it much easier to install manufacture virtually anywhere desired.
Engine improvement was such a constant need that time that surpassing the design of the 1712 Newcomen’s engine was indispensable. Therefore, Watt‘s engine was developed sporadically from 1763 to 1775. His machine offered an incredibly considerable increase in fuel efficiency. Consequently the new efficient engine replaced Newcomen’s machine in areas where coal was expensive, using most natural power sources such as wind and water.
Furthermore, steam power made many contributions to different industries such as iron related industries where steam-driven furnaces helped iron makers change from charcoal which was very limited in quantity to the use of coke, made from coal. Henry Cort, during the 1780s, worked on the creation of a puddling furnace that enabled pig iron to be refined. As a result, iron workers could mix together molten pig iron in a large container, scraping off refined iron for further processing. Soon after, Cort also developed steam-powered rolling mills, which produced iron in different shapes and forms.
In 1851, a discovery, which would change drastically the industrial process, took place. Bessesmer discovered steel which was the best and inexpensive alternative to molten pig iron. The process which Bessesmer found steel wasn’t complicated. He just removed all the impurities from iron by oxidation with air being blown through the molten iron. Overall, it became cheap and easier to use and make goods in the factories.
Another factor that enabled the industrial revolution in England was transport. England was the first country to build roads, which were terrible until the late 18th century. Generally uneven, roads usually consisted of seas of mud, water-filled ruts and other hazards that made a trip very unpleasant or almost impossible. Other important factors were the construction of boats and the use of railroad.
The progress in Britain also includes agriculture advancements. Britain then, began to be seen as the first industrialized nation. The industrial progress brought significant advantages, especially economically; however, there were many issues with how factories were run. At a very early age, children were employed and paid even less than what women usually made for salary even though these young workers labored as many hours as everybody else. There were no safe environment conditions and for many times the children were hit in order to keep them producing. It became noticeable how bad work environment was getting during the 1820s. Years later an action was taken and a parliamentary committee was created by Michael Thomas Sadler, in 1832. The committee’s function was to, somewhat, help protect children’s right. Actions such as this didn’t go further and workers, powerless, gradually found their own way to protect themselves by forming unions and using it as a way to deal with the profit-hungry factory owners.
So, to the question, why was Britain the first country to industrialize? Britain was the first country to industrialize because conditions seemed to be perfect for the Industrial Revolution. By employing wood instead of coal, Britain accumulated enormous deposits of coal that was later used to fuel new inventions. British colonies supplied raw material when needed and often times, markets for the goods provided by the industrial revolution such as cotton. As previously mentioned, cotton become a cheap and very accessible product. Cotton was easily made, and everyone found use for it. Consequently, the cotton production tripled towards the end of 18th century by making its mark in the beginning of 19th.
With such a great manufacture production, Britain began seeking for new markets which were easily found by considering other countries. But, when comparing Britain to other countries, what set it apart however, were its social elements such as education, work attitude, and a government at the time considered very modern. Part of it is that Britain had no other way but create a work force where people knew what they were doing when operating machines. Therefore, a larger educated workforce was produced in order to run the machines. That same population made it possible for the presence of more modern views at work, as well. These people seemed very eager for prosperity. They were not afraid of leaving the country and moving to the city in search of work.
Another point is that, the British government supported the new system, welcoming the new idea of “invisible hand” of Adam Smith, which seemed to help boost the British capitalism. A stable government in Britain made all the different to the industrial revolution process. With economic and political promotion, the British society sought to earn more money by investing more and trying new business and new markets. Contrarily to any other European country, Britain created an effective central bank with credit market services. The British government also contributed to the technology and free market expansion. Consequently, with all this technological development a new private banking system began and a better adapted credit system also emerged, such as the state bank, the promissory note, and other new media of exchange. This made an economic stimulus possible and consecutively offered more money to spend creating a stable environment to their society, creating a solid economic system that was reliable to the atmosphere of a new Revolution.
With the movement the market competition has created around 1850, Britain had become incredibly profitable. Britain’s intention was to deliver cotton to two-thirds of the globe; with the realization of that and much more, Britain started calling itself the "Workshop of the World," position that was overtaken during the end of the 19th century by the countries Germany, Japan and United States.
Today, historians still discuss about what could have been the main reason the industrial revolution first happened in Britain. Some individuals of substantial opinion might say that the industrial revolution happened thanks to the new inventions, which without a doubt, made possible a faster and prosperous production, however, there lays question: Did these inventions made the revolution or did the revolution made the inventions? One might not ever know the answer to such a ‘philosophical’ question.
Moreover, to the matter why Britain first, another point of many, could be that British people valued self interest and an entrepreneurial spirit. This entrepreneurial spirit created an incredible wealth benefiting many families. Perhaps, without it the industrial revolution would not have gone that far. Or perhaps, the riches of Britain’s colonies including the slave trade between Africa and the Caribbean contributed to the industrial revolution; even though the slave trade was known to have contributed very little to the British national income during the Industrial Revolution years, every small piece might have played its own role.
As mentioned previously, the debate about the start of the Industrial Revolution is something that lasts even today. With so many possible reasons why the Industrial Revolution first happened in Britain, no one can really decide what reason should be the main cause to the revolution. By researching the industrial revolution in Britain, I concluded that, there isn’t only one specific cause but many. All of them together, played an essential role in the industrial revolution and helped it become one of the biggest events in history. I will mention and explain some of the reasons which I believe might have played a quintessential role in the cause to the industrial revolution in Britain; some of them have already been mentioned earlier, however in fewer details.
One of the main reasons could have been the agricultural revolution. Dikes were first built to retain water. They were a man made dam and helped the water flow into different directions. Crop rotation was also part of that agricultural revolution and is a successive planting of different crops on the same land to improve soil fertility and help control insects and diseases. Some of the general purposes of rotations are to improve or maintain soil fertility, reduce erosion, reduce the build-up of pests, spread the workload, reduce risk of weather damage, and reduce reliance on agricultural chemicals, increasing, as result, net profits. Next, the use of new and different chemicals becomes an important practice to help improve agriculture. In addition, especial machines were created to spread seeds evenly. All of these together resulted in people producing food in a more efficient manner.
The next main reason that could have contributed to the Industrial Revolution was the British enclosure movement. Enclosure was one of the most important formative processes in the evolution of the landscape of England. Although enclosure has tended to become synonymous in common usage with physically shutting off a piece of land with a fence, hedge or wall, this event is historical and its legal meaning was rather different. In this latter sense, enclosure involved the removal of communal rights, controls or ownership over a piece of land and its conversion into ‘severalty’, that is a state where the owner had sole control over its use, and access to it. Land could be ‘open’ or in other words, unfenced, but nevertheless held in severalty, or fenced off but ‘common’. Legally, the distinction between ‘common’ and ‘severalty’ was clear and enclosure was the process by which one became the other. Consequently, with the end of the community farms, many peasants begin to migrate to towns in search of jobs.
This contributes to the extension of the labor force in conjunction with the presence of available natural resources such as coal and iron; which could have represented another main reason to the industrial revolution occurrence. These resources will become then, the fuel of the Industrial Revolution since better mine techniques made possible and easier to extract coal and iron from the ground, as a result, coal and iron became cheaper.
Another very important point, which I believe have inevitable contributions to the industrial revolution advent, was the growth or rising of the population. As mentioned before, with the improvement of living conditions and health care the British population grew considerably by doubling and at times tripling in quantity. Along with the population growth, came a better life expectancy. What used to be a normal life spam at that time was now added with another seven or 8 years on top. With a larger family, many sought after better opportunities to make their living. The cities then became a very attractive alternative to the ones living in the country. With the opportunity of making more money, society started to change their behavior by getting married and procreating earlier than the usual, contributing once again, to the rising of the British population. With a larger number of people living longer, a greater demand for products, or in other words consumption, took place and a larger pool of workers became available, as well; completing that way the cycle which was necessary to propel the industrial revolution to its maximum.
Finally, the mix of possible existent causes, until this day, has been a subject of study and discussion among historians. No one can guaranty what was the main cause, but if all of them are placed together, creation of machines, agricultural advancements, migration from country to the city, and many others, it seems to make more sense on how and why the industrial revolution first happened in Britain. After all, the advent of Industrial Revolution seems quite impossible not to have more than a few determinants. Perhaps, if an experience could be done, and a dissection of the industrial revolution was possible, an analysis could take place. What would have been of the industrial revolution if there were no creative minds? Could it have been possible for this revolution to happen without the new machines? Could other means have been used if there were no natural resources such as coal available? Could the machines produce completely without human aid? What if the agricultural advances never existed? What if the government thought the industrial revolution was going to promote corruption of the society? What if throughout history, population kept being a target to plagues? What if there were never enough workers? What would have been of the Industrial Revolution? Perhaps, it wouldn’t.

Work Cited
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Cambridge University Press/052182771X - The Enclosure Maps of England and Wales, 1595-1918 - Roger
J. P. Kain, John Chapman and Richard R. Oliver
Hobsbawm, E. J. Labouring Men; Studies in the History of Labour. New York: Basic, 1965. Print.
Kreis, Steven, "Lecture 17: The Origins of the Industrial Revolution in England," The History Guide, www.historyguide.org/intellect/lecture17a.html, 3 July 2012.
Stearns, Peter N., and John H. Hinshaw. The ABC-CLIO World History Companion to the Industrial Revolution. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 1996. Print.