Why Europe? Why Britain?

Why did the Industrial Revolution take place in Europe? Why was Britain the first industrial nation? This contribution provides a more detailed study, especially of certain aspects: the competitive (and conflictual) relations between states and their mercantilist intervention in the economy; market mechanisms and the state's role in promoting economic growth; the ability to defend trade, and the military revolution; the existence of developed financial systems controlled by private operators and low interest rates; the tradition of representation for social classes, and experimentation in some countries with "inclusive" institutions that gradually enabled wider distribution of economic benefits. In brief, the Industrial Revolution was not a sudden event, but represented the outcome of pre-existing processes of cultural, social, institutional, technological and economic development which were a feature of Europe as a whole, and came to fruition particularly in the 18th century, when the Industrial Revolution began.