Coal In The Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution was a time of innovation and productivity which truly allowed the British to transition to this new era. The Industrial Revolution in Britain was not caused from an individual power but the need for a better energy source than wood. The British found this in coal which contains three times the amount of energy, and the British coasts were blessed with this resource. Mining was what allowed the Industrial Revolution to kick start. As the coal source on the surface depleted, great minds were needed to drain the inundated coal veins, without these the growth of the British would have dissipated. Trading, provided the British with desirable goods. These goods allowed businesses to obtain bonus capital. Despite this it …show more content…
Coal and Iron, the key resources in this era, opened up the possibility to create machines. Coal produced unspeakable amounts of energy which timber couldn’t be compared to. More energy allowed the British to run these factories, which after all was essential in the Industrial Revolution; this is evident since the 3 Census’ (1851, 1861, and 1871) show the escalation of jobs relating to mining in the 1870s. Surprisingly the presence of miners throughout the population was generally low, less than 10% of the population, despite coal being the main resource British merchants bartered with. These resources allowed steam engines (for both transport and factories) to be fuelled, something essential for both trade’s relevance and the Industrial …show more content…
Trade was an excellent source of capital, but without the resources what could have been bartered? And without the use of efficient transport (which required coal and various metals), would trading really have been as influential? Overall, Britain couldn’t have progressed without trade, it had massive influence over society since it provided common goods with added value and made Britain the bonus capital it needed to become the most powerful empire of its