British Inventions

[anotheoldgit]

How did a small island's people like the British, turn from farming, and then go on to create the Industrial Revolution, thus leading the world in inventions, and the skills to manufacture these inventions, over such a short period of time?

[gary baldy]

Just sort of lucky i guess!

[shaneystar2]

Read all about it
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolu tion

[maxximus]

quite simple really, they let the scots handle it ! http://home.earthlink.net/~djmp/ScottishCultur e.html

[boro1986]

A reason why im proud to be British. Shame the country is in a right state now tho

[jake-the-peg]

Each country has it's up's and downs.

Look at Egypt - a great culture when we were running around in mud huts chucking spears at each other.

When Marco Polo reached China what he found there must have been mind blowing - silk, gunpowder porcelain we were forever trying to catch up and work out how they'd done this.

As far as the industrial revolution goes I'd say there were a number of factors that came together all at the same time -

Enlightenment thinking and the development of scientic principles, availability of coal, iron ore, water power the political stability , growth of democratic government and decline in power of the traditional landed gentry freeing up entrepreneurs.

I certainly don't think it was anything endemic in the British character or biology, circumstances favoured us for a short period of time much as they'd favoured a lot of coutries before and after.

[snoozy]

The agrarian revolution had to take place first. When our ancestors could feed themselves - or more properly the majority - using more productive farming techniques with fewer people working on the land, then suddenly there was a large population that could be employed in industry, which of course created wealth that meant food could be imported and more people moved to the towns to work in the mills, factories etc.

[heathfield]

Free schools helped, too.

[kev100]

The main reason for Britains rise to world power, the industrial revolution was down to COAL and our limitless supply of it and our skill at taking it out of the ground, and our brilliant engineers that built canals in order to transport coal to fire up furnaces to manufacture steel etc.

Think about it anotheoldgit

[Dagman]

maxximus, are you a Scot by chance?

[maxximus]

i'm a canadian, but will confess to scots, irish ancestry. parents and granparents, great grandparents too for that matter. i have also read the book that i posted, my mother bought it for my dad for his birthday some years ago. i will also confess i thought i would get a 'rise' out of some of you more english posters! (purely in fun)cheers.

[Dagman]

You cad sir! lol.

[Dagman]

In fact, should mention that I myself live on the Scottish/English border with Riever descent, both parents from the Borders.