> Colin: > > Just to pull the nearest book off the shelf, > > Braudel's _Perspective on the World_ has a > > subtle discussion of the British Ind Rev, > > with a vigorous presentation 571-4 of cotton > > as a leading sector Yes, in a section "Why the cotton revolution should not be underestimated", Braudel uses the figures which Frank then repeats that "cotton....in 1800 represented a quarter of all British exports; by 1850 this had risen to fifty per cent". Yet I have as revealing a pair of numbers: cotton represented only 1% of industrial production in 1770, and only 8% in 1815 - of course, I say this knowing well that cotton's significance consisted in being the first industry to mechanize. The other crucial industry to mechanize was iron, which contributed 5% percent in 1770 and 8% in 1815 - but who would underestimate this one? Well, 5% is certainly more than 1%. (Gutmann)
