ABSTRACT
Britain's Industrial Revolution or economic 'take-off', was followed in the middle and later nineteenth century by a new phase of development, one which Rostow called the 'drive to maturity'. With their early lead in the production of textiles, coal and iron, and with the use of steam power by land and by sea, Britain's works and factories were enabled to pour out a mounting flood of cheap and useful commodities to meet the needs of people all over the world. In its industrial heyday Britain was truly the workshop of the world. British goods were to be found on all five continents, even in the newly penetrated markets of China and Japan. While the export trade continued to expand Britain was also becoming a large-scale importer of other people's goods. One factor encouraging the increased size and efficiency of steamships in the later Victorian era was the rise in emigrant traffic.
