1 The British industrial revolution in a European mirror BRIAN A’HEARN INTRODUCTION Mid-Victorian Britain was a wonder: the workshop of the world, the hegemon behind the Pax Britannica, the manager of the international mon- etary system. The average Briton lived in a city, earned a living as an industrial or service sector employee, and would see her children enjoy living standards that marked a decisive break with the past in terms of health, education, consumption and leisure. Britain had come a long way from its early modern position as a peripheral, backward country. This chapter explores the evolution of the economy from 1700 to 1870, during which it passed through the decisive phase of the industrial revolution. The first section sketches a macroeconomic outline of developments in the period. This is followed by an effort to set these achievements in a com- parative perspective, emphasising what was distinctive about Britain’s experience. A third section further exploits international data to evaluate several hypotheses about the causes of the industrial revolution that have featured in recent debates. The final section offers a summary and conclusions. CONTENTS Introduction 1 1700–1870: a macroeconomic overview 2 Britain’s achievements in comparative perspective 11 What caused the industrial revolution? 20 Conclusion 45 References 49 1 Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-03845-5 - The Cambridge Economic History of Modern Britain: Volume I: 1700–1870 Edited by Roderick Floud, Jane Humphries and Paul Johnson Excerpt More information www.cambridge.org © in this web service Cambridge University Press