Commercial Expansion Of The Victorian Era

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The Victorian Era began on June 20, 1837 when Queen Victoria was coronated as the monarch of the Great Britain. This marked the beginning of a great and prosperous era for Great Britain: The Victorian Era. The commercial expansion in Great Britain vastly grew because of a number of factors. The creation of factories greatly sped up the production of cheap and standardized goods. The colonization of foreign lands allowed different goods be imported to Great Britain, which expanded the economy and the amount of industries involved in it. The enlargement of different industries within the British economy allowed the economy to grow and expand. Commercial expansion during the Victorian Era was caused by the creation of factories, colonization of foreign lands, and the enlargement of different industries within the British economy. Factories were built for the use of machinery, greatly speeding up the production of cheap and standardized goods, which could be sold for the British population. The first machines were powered by water wheels, and the factories were located near fast flowing rivers to provide the power. Over time, the power sources for these machines changed mainly to steam, which boosted the output and the efficiency of the machines. The invention of steam power greatly improved Britain’s primary industries, such as textiles, metalwork and other manufactured goods. The factories, along side the steam powered machines, caused massive amounts of jobs to be created for people to work in the factories. This brought expansion in commerce within Great Britain that lead to Britain becoming the strongest economic power of its time. After the British defeat during the American Revolutionary War, almost one hundred thousand peop... ... middle of paper ... ...ods from all across the globe and integrated them into the British economy. The enlargement of different industries caused the British economy to grow, and for many jobs to be created, which increased the standard of living for the people. All of these factors caused the commercial expansion during the Victorian Era, and aided in its remembrance as one of the greatest and most prosperous eras in British history. Works Cited Crouzet, François. The Victorian Economy. New York: Columbia UP, 1982. Print. Corey, Melinda, and George Ochoa. The Encyclopedia of the Victorian World: A Reader's Companion to the People, Places, Events, and Everyday Life of the Victorian Era. New York: Henry Holt and, 1996. Print. "The Rise Of Technology And Industry." Bl.uk. The British Library Board, n.d. Web. .

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