Before the Victorian Industrial Revolution took control of the country, “…75 percent of people lived in rural towns and villages,” (Swisher). These small rural communities grew crops and created many household items in their homes using simple machines (History.com Staff). Since malnourishment and disease thrived in these communities, they took action to find better ways of life. New forms of production were sought after leading to many advancements and innovations that altered the operation of the country. This new period of industrialization marked a shift to powered, special-purpose machinery, factories and mass production. According to Paul Atterbury, a specialist in …show more content…
Trade was very important to the Victorians because the growth of the country depended upon the exchange between nations. According to Intriguing History, “Victorians enforced open trade between nations, even using military force when trade was restricted,” this strategy was enforced with China and Japan. (“Victorian Period Timeline”). The amount of trade during the Victorian age was monumental, and later, other nations would attempt to follow in Britain’s footsteps. Paul Atterbury offers that “imports nearly doubled” while “exports nearly tripled.” The Victorians utilized major export markets in Asia, Europe and the United States (Atterbury). Trade flourished due to the construction of railways and bridges that connected the world