Geographical Causues of British Supremacy in a Developing World

...

many of the scientific discoveries which allowed the Industrial Revolution were discovered. As new ideas were tried and tested, the capabilities of technology only grew. The world was changing towards the ideas of science and the ideas that would prevail through the Industrial revolution. The shift towards science did not only occur in the physical sciences but was also seen in the psychological and philosophical fields. Psychology and the basis of human nature and decision were now being questioned. Furthermore new methods of thinning were being designed and tested. The scientific method, a very mechanical method, would foreshadow the mechanization to soon occur in the Industrial Revolution. 6

Geography - Island (a)

The first and most obvious geographic difference between Britain and its peers is that Britain is an island. Consisting of only about 200,000 square meters of land, the island is barely as large as Oregon. Though it may seem small in scale, this land full of benefits such as immense coastlines. In fact almost there are more than 12,000 meters of coastline in Britain. Furthermore, the land of said island is conducive to farming and other beneficial ventures. Despite being a unified region, the land is actually made of thousands of smaller islands with waterways and rivers traversing and crossing between them. This was ideal as it created a natural method of transportation and protection for the British. Not only did they have access to bountiful natural “highways” but they had a physical barrier of water keeping them safe from invasion. 7

As mentioned, one benefit to being an island was the abundance of natural ports and harbors. As the Industrial Revolution dawned, modes of transport changed drastically. Transportation by land now seemed inconvenient and outdated but transportation by sea was the new standard. This is how ports and harbors come into play. Surrounded by water, there was no place in Britain more than 120 Kilometers from a port covered shoreline. With these pre-existing natural wide body ports and harbors Britain had already begun the change towards sea transport and led the frontier. After all, it was their only form of moving goods or people, so they had to be good at it. As the country’s economy flourished, it truly became dependant on these harbors. By the end of the 17th century, Britain had proved its marine capabilities were far superior to those around them. This proved another piece to the puzzle of British industrial domination. By being forced to adapt to a maritime lifestyle, the British had actually gained an advantage for when trade and economics swayed towards the sea. 8

Harbors and ports would be useless without an effective way of getting materials to said locations. To meet this demand exists a large amount of wide and fast moving rivers throughout Britain. During the initial stages of the Industrial Revolution these rivers were used for power. Via mills the fast moving water powered machinery, created electricity, and more. As the power use became more efficient and more product was made the British now had to find a way of transporting said product. The answer was once again rivers! These transportation superhighways made the world of commerce and tried much easier. The rivers made sure a steady flow of goods could reach the ports and therefore be sold across the seas. 9

Geography - Island (b)

Unlike Britain, the rest of Europe was not a small compact island full of opportunity. As discussed the biggest separating factor of Britain was that it is located on an independent piece of land. The rest of Europe of the other hand was a complex jigsaw puzzle of states and countries with intricate borders and confusing politics. The countries within the continent may have been similar in scale to Britain, but they still shared neighbors by land. Beyond this, the climate of mainland Europe varied greatly as the pure size of land was much larger. On Britain’s small scale everything was relatively uniform and consistent, making for easy travel/communication. In mainland Europe there were areas of tropical climate, temperate climate, and even Alpine Regions, making communication and growth between countries more difficult. Lastly there was the issue of competition. Even in times of peace there was still competition between countries on the continent. This worked to speed up industrialization but also had many drawbacks. 10

Due to being a congested mixture of borders the mainland European countries also missed out on harbors and ports as well. Instead of having a port within about 100 Kilometers of any location, many countries were landlocked and totally separated from the sea. This situation is not ideal for trade and commerce. Worsening the situation is the lack of navigable rivers and canals. It is bad enough to not have areas where exports and imports can be brought, but this issue only amplifies when transportation becomes limited. Transportation by land as required in many parts of Europe was much more dangerous, time consuming, and expensive. Though marine transport for mainland Europe was still an option, it was nowhere as efficient or well conducted as that of the British. The geography simply did not lend itself to as successful as marine voyages in the mainland region. 11

Geography - Island (c)

There were many benefits that Britain reaped due to being an Island. First of all as mentioned this created a physical barrier keeping them relatively safe from attack for long periods of time. Coupled with this safety the isolation had given the British a drive for self sufficiency. These perks to being an Island were just the surface on a rusting nesting doll-esque multi layer system of benefits. Following the initial pros to being an island came the actual aspects of that island itself. Ample shorelines provided unrivaled access to the world whether it be for import, export, trade, or exploration. This allowed for an economic boost that was not seen elsewhere in England. The ports also forced Britain into advancing their maritime knowledge, only further maximizing these benefits.The next layer of the “nesting doll” are the rivers traversing Britain. These provided Britain with the pathways which would carry goods inland and across the Island. Akin to our modern Interstates, the rivers truly rounded off Britain’s island benefits with a fast, cheap, and infinite method of transport. 13 14 15 16 17 18

Geography - Iron and Coal (a)

There was one piece missing from the revolutionary puzzle. All the resources, navigation methods, trade opportunities, and markets would be useless without something to fuel the Industrial Revolution. For Britain