The Industrial Revolution started in Britain in the eighteenth century. A number of factors converged to create the conditions for developments in industry and science. Agricultural improvements created a cadre of wealthy landowners with money to invest. Improved educational opportunities, particularly in Scotland, created a broader set of young people with ideas and ambition. Greater religious freedom allowed individuals of talent to develop businesses. Interest in science and technology blossomed and the birth of the coffee house culture brought people with ideas into the orbit of those with money. In this course I am going to take you through the key milestones of the early industrial revolution – in the textile industry, in coal mining and iron production, in civil engineering; in the development of steam power and the birth of the railways.
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