ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the relationship between government and small business in the UK in the Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. For much of Nineteenth Century, Britain’s economy was dominated by small businesses and independent traders and we begin this chapter by sketching the types of small business in the UK economy at this time. We focus in particular on the second half of the Nineteenth Century as things began to change, highlighting some of the early indications of larger scale developments that were to follow. The chapter then draws out discussions relating to individualism, which has often been highlighted in historical accounts and modern political discourse to characterise the entrepreneurs of this time, and the laissez-faire approach ascribed to governments of the time, especially in their approach to industry. The chapter concludes by outlining the increasingly difficult position small businesses found themselves in at the turn of the Twentieth Century.
