It is one thing to describe the Industrial Revolution, which began in late-eighteenth-century Britain. It is another to explain how it began.

From the perspective of world history, economic growth and tech­ nological innovation did not necessarily occur together. Economic growth at times occurred in the absence of technological innovation. Using existing technologies more extensively, merchants could main­ tain economic growth by increasing the volume of trade. That was in accordance with the principle of specialization with complementarity.