Industrial Revolution

¶ … role of government in the Industrial Development of the West?

The Industrial Revolution in the West began in Britain in the early eighteenth century and then spread to France, Germany, Belgium-most of the rest of Western Europe, Eastern Europe and the United States.

The speed and success by which each country became industrialized depended on various factors, one of the most significant of which was the role that the government played in encouraging the move from agricultural-based production and manual production to using machine power to manufacture goods.

A stable government was one of the basic elements in ensuring successful industrialization. Britain, at the time of its transformation, had a very steady government, as opposed to the political instability of France, which led to industrialization becoming prolonged.

Another advantage Britain had was the availability of coal which was used in abundance in factories and forms of transportation. France, on the other hand, was hampered by its lack of coal. The United States used its natural supplies of wood and steel, and Germany, keen to catch up with Britain and France, used its rich iron and steel resources to develop heavy industry.

For the effective running of factories, supplying raw material and distributing the product to customers, it was crucial to have an efficient transportation system, which included railroads, steam ships and cars. In France the central government was more active in building a railroad system. Britain had one too, but it was privately funded. The United States was determined to catch up with Europe in its industrialization and especially due to its vast and spread out land, it connected its internal markets by building roads, canals and railroads.

The Economic environment was also important for industrialization, including the level of interference the government had within the markets. The 'free market' approach by Britain initiated by the economist Adam Smith helped new ideas and methods to be introduced with a minimum of restriction and legislation by the government. The German economic environment encouraged big business and cooperation among large firms. The few large banks in the German banking sector, for example, coordinated with each other to increase productivity.