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What if they gave an Industrial Revolution and nobody came?

rootsofprogress.org · 5,559 words · saved by 1 readers

Imagine you could go back in time to the ancient world to jump-start the Industrial Revolution. You carry with you plans for a steam engine, and you present them to the emperor, explaining how the machine could be used to drain water out of mines, pump bellows for blast furnaces, turn grindstones and lumber saws, etc. But to your dismay, the emperor responds: “Your mechanism is no gift to us. It is tremendously complicated; it would take my best master craftsmen years to assemble. It is made of iron, which could be better used for weapons and armor. And even if we built these engines, they would consume enormous amounts of fuel, which we need for smelting, cooking, and heating. All for what? Merely to save labor. Our empire has plenty of labor; I personally own many slaves. Why waste precious iron and fuel in order to lighten the load of a slave? You are a fool!” We can think of innovation as a kind of product. In the market for innovation there is supply and demand. To explain the Ind

What if they gave an Industrial Revolution and nobody came? The Roots of Progress About the blog • Writing • Speaking • Bibliography • Subscribe • Roots of Progress Institute What if they gave an Industrial Revolution and nobody came? The British Industrial Revolution in Global Perspective , by Robert Allen by Jason Crawford · May 17, 2023 · 20 min read Imagine you could go back in time to the ancient world to jump-start the Industrial Revolution. You carry with you plans for a steam engine, and you present them to the emperor, explaining how the machine could be used to dr

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