British Industrial Performance Between 1870-1914

British Industrial Performance Between 1870-1914 “On the whole British manufacturers did reasonably well in adapting to

a much more competitive international market after 1870” (G. Magee,

2004). Critically review this summary of British industrial

performance between 1870 and 1914.

After 1870 many of the dominating world powers had undergone the

process of industrialisation, a process that had primarily started

with Britain. Industrialisation brought with it problems for the

British industrial market. With other countries using the same and

sometimes even more advanced methods of producing manufactured goods,

Britain was beginning to lose its international dominance in the

market. Slowly other countries were beginning to catch up and in the

case of Germany and the United States of America were even able to

overtake the success experienced by Britain. In all of this it is

fair to say that the British manufacturing industry suffered a

decline. However, the question is asking whether British

manufacturers did reasonably well in adapting to a much more

competitive international market. First what needs to be discussed

are the problems that Britain had domestically as a country. This

essay will explain how on the whole British manufacturers did not do

reasonably well in adapting to a much more competitive international

market after 1870. Although they faced problems that were out of

their hands British manufacturers did not find ways to work around

these issues so that th...

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...] Peter Cain, ‘Political Economy in Edwardian England: The

Tariff-Reform Controversy’, in A. O’Day, The Edwardian Age. Conflict

and Stability, p.36.

[7] B.W.E. Alford, Britain in the World Economy Since 1880, p.57-58.

[8] J. Greaves, Lecture 4: ‘Britain and the International Economy,

1870-1914, 17/10/05,

[9] James Foreman-Peck, A History of the World Economy, p92.

[10] Peter Cain, ‘Political Economy in Edwardian England: The

Tariff-Reform Controversy’, in A. O’Day, The Edwardian Age. Conflict

and Stability, p.37.

[11] B.W.E. Alford, Britain in the World Economy Since 1880, p.55.

[12] Peter Cain, ‘Political Economy in Edwardian England: The

Tariff-Reform Controversy’, in A. O’Day, The Edwardian Age. Conflict

and Stability, p.37.

[13] James Foreman-Peck, A History of the World Economy, p97.