The 19th century marked a pivotal moment in British history, as the British empire grew

there were significant changes in various sectors including industry, military, and politics,
allowing Britain to expand its global influence. While there were many factors that
contributed to the growth of British power in the 19th century, I believe that the most
significant was Britain’s industrial development as it helped Britain gain a global reputation
for good quality manufactured items at a cheaper price than most other countries at the time
due to the significance of the industrial revolution. In this essay, I will explore the various
factors that contributed to the rise of British power in the 19th century.

One way that industrial development was important for the growth of British power in the
19th century was the rapid development of industry taking place in Britain which soon spread
to the rest of Western Europe and North America. In the 19th century, British manufactured
goods dominated world trade as most manufactured items were produced more efficiently
and competitively in Britain than in other countries, most notably in the textile industry due to
new innovations such as the spinning Jenny and the power loom that allowed more products
to be manufactured at a greater rate. As these products were able to be mass produced,
there was a steep decline in prices and therefore a larger desire for British manufactured
goods of great quality resulting in more British goods being exported to other countries and
traded globally. This led Britain to become known as the ‘workshop of the world’ in the 19th
century and gain a global reputation for manufacturing good quality goods. Due to this new-
found global reputation for manufacturing, Britain was able to maintain a dominant position in
global trade and commerce therefore allowing it to have the financial resources for the
British empire to expand through diplomatic, military and colonial endeavours leading to a
steady supply of raw materials due to Britain’s colonisation of other countries and adding to
its growing power in the 19th century.

However, another factor that allowed for the growth of British power in the 19th century is the
military strength of Britain and how this grew during the 19th century. After the Napoleonic
wars in 1817, Britain had an army of 92000 soldiers which is quite a small number for a large
empire; however, this number grew to 124000 in 1883, towards the end of the 19th century,
allowing it to be assumed that Britain was expanding its empire and colonising new
territories, thus allowing the army to grow and from that we can deduce that Britain was
therefore growing in power on the global stage. Furthermore, Britain put its empire at the
forefront of all economic decisions and due to this, declined building up the army too much
as it would’ve resulted in a non-profitable empire due to the amount off investment it
would’ve required so there was always a monetary aspect to Britain’s military power. Despite
its success as an empire, Britain faced its first military defeat in 1857 against one of its own
colonies during the Indian mutiny. This therefore set an example for other colonies to gain
independence from Britain due to its declining military strength despite the increase of
soldiers in the army and therefore affected the power of the British empire in the 19th
century.

Overall, despite the positive aspects in the growth of the military strength of Britain in the
19th century, I have come to the conclusion that the industrial development in the
manufacturing industry was the most important aspect for the growth of British power in the
19th century as it gave Britain a global platform in a competitive market and made them
famous for producing goods quickly due to new steam-powered mechanical inventions such
as the spinning Jenny and the power loom, allowing for more goods to be made at a quicker
rate, therefore allowing the increase in exports and growing Britain’s trade reputation to
become one of the most powerful countries on the market in the 19th century.