Reasons for Britains industrialization
...the spinning jenny; this made it possible for the output of the spinner and weavers to be balanced. In a mere two generations, what was once a home-based craft became an industry. But there were still more inventions to come that would play an even bigger role. The next big invention was the cotton gin, invented by Eli Whitney. This machine enabled workers to clean more than fifty times as much cotton a day. These machines changed society in a way never dreamed of before. It helped make the transition from rural to urban lifestyle. Britain was neither the richest nor the most populous country in Europe, but on all levels of society, it possessed a hard-working, inventive and risk-taking private sector that received support from the government. The process of industrialization could have never been possible without the individual business owners who took a chance on something. Government support provided road improvements and canal constructions, and ultimately, Britain had better transportation than any other country in Europe. A huge factor in the industrialization process was the flexibility of Britain’s social and political systems. Members of the ‘elite’ pursued their wealth in new industrial framework. The upper classes worked very closely with the middle classes and workers. They did this to try and not cause a revolution. The combination of inventiveness, growing markets, governmental support, and social flexibility made Britain the world’s economic super power until the end of the 19th century. With all the cotton production, the modern Iron Age arrived. In 1800 Russia exported iron to Britain. By 1815, Britain exported more than five times as much iron as it imported. By 1848 Britain produced more...