Conclusion

By the mid-19th century, Great Britain sat alone atop the industrialized world. In the short span of one century the nation had transformed itself from a rural agrarian and cottage industry society to a modern urban and manufacturing giant. A unique set of circumstances set Great Britain on this course. Geography, sufficient resources, capital, and manpower contributed to this development. In addition, Great Britain also possessed a more liberal political establishment that supported industrial growth. That is not to say that Great Britain did not experience significant stress in making the transition. Massive demographic shifts, rapid urbanization, and its attendant ills of health and sanitation vexed the nation for a number of decades. However, over time the nation marshaled resources to solve the political, economic, and social problems inherent in industrialization that might have led to disruption or even revolution. In addition, enterprising and imaginative entrepreneurs and inventors combined forces to create new enterprises capable of achieving levels of wealth and prosperity never before experienced in the Western world. The nation produced two-thirds of the world’s coal and half of its cotton and iron. Britain’s per capita income was markedly higher than that of any of its neighbors. British products saturated world markets and virtually smothered the competition. Although every Western nation wanted to imitate Britain’s success, it seemed inconceivable that Britain’s role as an industrial goliath could be matched. As the afterglow of the successful Great Exhibition of 1851 waned, however, Great Britain found its role as the industrial pace-setter challenged in the late 19th century by the United States and the countries of Western Europe. These nations at first embraced Great Britain’s basic practices and then developed their own innovative approaches to become rival industrialized societies.