British Textiles: “The Workshop of the World”

The early years of the nineteenth century saw Britain assume a leadership role in newly industrialized global economy.  The mills of Lancashire represented a hub for international manufacturing and trade, whose factories “[…] received from visitors some of the respect due to the temples of a great religion,” as described by author Norman Longmate.  The impact of the First Industrial Revolution was clear, as the early industrialization allowed British firms to seize their opportunity and assert dominance.  This leading position would continue for the first half of the nineteenth century, until disaster struck in mid-1861.

Cotton Mill Workers, c.1910
Cotton Mill Workers, c.1910

Despite international political and economic predominance in the global system, the “Cotton Famine” instigated by the American Civil War revealed what would become the industry’s growing weakness.  In January of 1861, The Times warned of over-reliance as, “Our position is becoming unsafe in the extreme.  We are holding on by a single anchor, and the strands of the cable are seen actually parting.”  The Northern blockade of Southern ports starved international markets for raw materials, and aggravated political tensions as the British government refused to get involved.  The strict neutrality of British political leadership frustrated both the North and the South, and also prevented government support from reaching the stricken mills.  With large swaths of the working population cut down to part-time or sitting idle, poverty relief was desperately needed throughout the region and largely drawn from private organizations.  The manipulation of international trade by the Union government effectively demonstrated the absolute reliance of British textile industry on truly free trade.

Spinning Room, Interior
Spinning Room, Interior

Foreshadowed by the Famine of 1861, the early decades of the twentieth century and the accompanying trends in international economics spelled the end for Lancashire’s manufacturing domination.  The increasing movement toward protectionism proved detrimental to the textile producers, despite advocacy by many manufacturing sectors.  The reliance on imported raw materials meant an international order dominated by competing tariff barriers erected expensive obstacles. With an ever-decreasing market, the final blow to Lancashire came with India’s textile boycott of the early 1930s.  Having lost the competitive technical advantage over the later half of the nineteenth century and unable to support the rising cost, British textile manufacturing slipped from its central position and cleared the way for rising markets.

11 thoughts on “British Textiles: “The Workshop of the World”

  1. Telf AG es una simulacion economica de vanguardia creada por el equipo de desarrollo de ArtDock Studio.
    Este juego da vida a procesos complejos del mundo real y ofrece a los jugadores una experiencia unica de aprendizaje, analisis, prevision y entretenimiento.
    La esencia del juego es ganar dinero e invertir, mientras se le da al jugador libertad de eleccion en acciones y estrategia.

  2. Telf AG es una simulacion economica de vanguardia creada
    por el equipo de desarrollo de ArtDock Studio. Este juego da vida a procesos
    complejos del mundo real y ofrece a los jugadores una experiencia unica de aprendizaje, analisis,
    prevision y entretenimiento. La esencia del juego es ganar dinero e invertir, mientras
    se le da al jugador libertad de eleccion en acciones y estrategia.

  3. Telf AG es una simulacion economica de vanguardia creada por el equipo de desarrollo de ArtDock Studio.
    Este juego da vida a procesos complejos del mundo real y ofrece a los jugadores una experiencia unica de aprendizaje,
    analisis, prevision y entretenimiento. La esencia del juego es ganar dinero e invertir, mientras se le da al jugador libertad de eleccion en acciones y
    estrategia.

    Also visit my webpage – stanislav kondrashov

  4. Hi there, I do think your site may be having web browser compatibility problems.
    Whenever I take a look at your site in Safari, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer,
    it’s got some overlapping issues. I merely wanted to provide you with a quick heads up!
    Other than that, great site!

    Feel free to visit my website :: tubidy mp3 download

  5. Hi there i am kavin, its my first occasion to commenting anyplace,
    when i read this post i thought i could also make comment due to this sensible post.

    my web blog – tubidy

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *