Analysts who have taken on the question of why the industrial revolution occurred in Europe have proposed several theories, each of which, alone, fails to adequately explain the phenomenon. Some have attributed the industrialization to imperialism, but some economically successful countries grew prosperous before imperialism and some, such as Norway and Switzerland, avoided imperialism altogether. Possession of natural resources has also been put forth as a possibl

In 1540, England boasted a population of approximately 3 million, and was a relatively developed country; most of its wealth was concentrated in so-called "shires." London, even then, was the focus of growth. It was the leading center of economic activity, and dominated the rest of the nation. More than 160 trades and crafts were active in the city at that time, in approximately the following proportions: 25 percent in clothing; 10 percent in leather (shoemaking, cobbling, glovemaking); 10 percent in metal working; 5.6 percent in the professions; and, 4 percent as officials and administrators (Barker 45).

There is another reason that Asians were more likely to attempt to maximize their human capital: effective disaster recovery. During 1556 and 1759, an Asian was 30 times more likely to die in a major earthquake than was a European (Jones 27). Such regular disasters meant that the human capital stock was regularly depleted. In addition, there is evidence that parasites were much more common in Asia than in the colder European countries, leading to additional depletion of the human capital stock. Floods regularly occur along the Yellow River in China and the Yangtze resulting in famine from lost crops in subsequent years, not to mention lost animal and human stock as a direct result of the flood. Drought is also more severe in Asia than in Europe, with severe effects on the crops, often water-intensive, such as rice (Jones 28).

Lacking a large human capital stock on which to draw for labor, the Europeans turned to domesticated animals to produce much of the labor for them. With fewer children to provide for, more could be invested in producing strong animals, and in educating the human labor force as well, who, with spare time provided by not working the fields, could turn to other endeavors, such as woodworking. Europeans enjoyed better clothing, more varied food, more furniture and more household utensils than did their counterparts in China and India.

The Europeans also tended to not maximize human capital. Marriages were delayed, with some never marrying at all, and childbirth took place at later ages. In India and the orient, there was a decided emphasis on having numerous children, marrying off daughters as soon as they were physically able, and favoring sons over daughters. Some attribute this difference to the Europeans' natural resources which permitted them to consume livestock products and use draft animals. In order to keep this standard of living, they produced fewer children, which would have competed with the animals for the scarce food resources (Jones 14-15).

While Europe as a whole enjoyed significant advantage over Asia when it came to the industrial revolution, so England enjoyed advantage over the rest of Europe. Britain was able to develop relatively unchallenged from the rest of the outside world. But the European continent, lacking strong natural borders, provided an arena for differing ideas, interests and disputes, settled generally through devastating wars.

But these differences alone do not account for the industrial revolution. Europe was apparently in a better position to take advantage of the knowledge that began to rapidly accumulate as a result of the renaissance (much of it from Asian and Islamic cultures). Western science organized a better attack on the secrets of nature, and used greater resources in that endeavor, than did other cultures, according to some analysts (Rosenberg and Birdzell 43).

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