ABSTRACT
Bradford Mills at Marki, the factory and town built near Warsaw in 1883, was arguably established in response to three complex factors: the contemporary British socio-economic environment, personal motivations and the perception of growing prospects abroad. This chapter will consider Bradford’s economic development and explain why industrialisation attracted foreign entrepreneurs to England during the nineteenth century. The commercial cooperation and financial interdependence that developed between these migrant traders and British industrialists will be described as a precedent for the Briggs-Posselt partnership. It will show the impact of growing competition on Bradford’s industry and how the resultant drive to export and development of foreign raw-materials resources exposed manufacturers to the volatilities of world trade. The growing international acuity of British businessmen which led to significant capital export by the end of the nineteenth century will be highlighted.
