What Made Britain so Different from the Rest of Europe Before 1850?

What made Britain so different from the rest of Europe before 1850?-
By 1850, Britain had changed in a number of social and economic ways, for a variety of reasons, primarily the industrial revolution as the historians O’Brien and Quinault argue that Britain ‘represented a potent “example” for Western Europe and the United States of what could be achieved’ highlighting British superiority and influence. The consequences of this momentous event can still be seen in Britain and around the world today due to the technological and scientific discoveries and innovations of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The development of British industry consequently led to significant differences between Britain and other European countries such as France and Portugal, however, the industrial revolution was not the single contributing factor to these differences. The expansion of the British Empire changed British society and ultimately led to greater power and influence over Europe, alongside important events such as the Napoleonic Wars, which in turn led to naval and military supremacy, as Britain were affected less negatively in comparison to other European countries. This essay will argue that Britain was different to Europe before 1850 as a result of the industrial revolution and its consequences, the expansion of the empire and the Napoleonic Wars.
It can be argued that Britain was different from the rest of Europe before 1850 as a result of the industrial revolution; however, one may argue that this was the case before the advent of industrialization. This can be attributed to the fact that the Industrial Revolution occurred primarily in Britain, rather than in any other European country, emphasising that there were significant differences in order for this to occur. Many historians will argue that Britain was the ideal nation for the events of the Industrial Revolution to occur in as the Agricultural Revolution had preceded it, therefore, productivity of the land

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