The Role of Transportation in the Industrial Revolution: A Comparison of England and France

David Schweitzer is a British and European history lecturer at the
University of Guelph.

The thesis of this book is that improvements in transportation were a
cause rather than a result of the Industrial Revolution in England. The
introductory chapter states this idea in explicit terms and establishes
the general context of the study. Chapter 2 compares England and France
to show how the former had a far better system of transport. Chapter 3
turns to the English iron industry, examining its expansion and
development. The following chapter uses the French iron industry to
illustrate how the country’s poor transportation system greatly
handicapped its economic growth. Chapters 5 and 6 turn to the
countries’ textile industries to produce comparisons that echo the
conclusions reached about their iron industries. The concluding chapter
reiterates the thesis that the process of the Industrial Revolution was
hastened by improvements in transport before the age of steam.

Szostak argues his case well, supporting essential points with
carefully considered examples. A number of orthodox myths are shattered:
coal output did not increase because there was a shortage of trees for
firewood; a few technological innovations alone did not lead to the
rapid expansion of the textile industry. Unlike many other works on the
topic, the book is detailed enough to interest the specialist while
setting the subject in a framework that appeals to the generalist.

I have only a few quibbles. Did the introduction need to run to almost
50 pages? And do the 70-odd pages of explanatory endnotes serve the
reader well? I submit that if all those elaborations are truly necessary
they belong in the main body of the work along with the other relevant
material. However, those small flaws detract little from this valuable
contribution, which stands out among the numerous other publications on
the history of the Industrial Revolution.