The Development of British Industry and Foreign Competition: 1875-1914

Originally published in 1968 this important work covers a crucial period in Britain’s economic history. In the three or four decades before the First World War British industry was subject to increasing foreign competition particularly from America and Germany. This book reviews the main developments in 10 industries, paying particular attention to the way in which they were affected by foreign competition, and the measures taken to combat it. Each case is analysed in terms of how progressive the British industrialists were and to what extent they were willing to innovate or alter their methods to meet the new conditions. In cases where a lack of enterprise was clear, the contributors have tried to determine what the major factors were which governed the pace of innovation. The book will be of interest to economists, economic historians and sociologists as well as those interested in industrial innovation.