Le développement de la Grande-Bretagne au 18m? siècle : révolution industrielle ou agricole ?

The study examines the influence of agriculture and transports on the growth of the British economy since the 18th Century Industrial Revolution. Without the joint development of transports and agriculture, Great Britain would not have been able to obtain such a lead over other countries by its industrialisation alone. Its economic power, based on the rise of industry, has not only been obtained by inventions and adoption of new technical processse, but also by a preliminary reform of agriculture, the transport system and the means of communication. The badly adapted cultivation methods and to a great extent the ignorance of scientific methods of soil conservation brought about a waste. The open field system prevented by its rigidity the adoption of new techniques. This system Was changed in 1760. The enclosures movement made it possible to change the mentality of the farmers and to bring in new cultivation methods. As to the improvment of the means of communication, its influence has beenn rather indirect. The network expanded during the second half of the eighteenth century, so as to permit a more intensive use of coal by the industries.