Blog #11

What I found interesting in this reading was the section that questioned why Western Europe was the area that the industrial revolution started in. I had never questioned why the industrial revolution happened in Western Europe until the book got me thinking about it. It makes sense that the industrial revolution occurred in Western Europe because all of the small independent states led to a highly competitive industry. This competition would lead to each state trying to find ways to get an advantage over the other states. The innovation helped lead to new inventions and ideas that all eventually culminated in the industrial revolution.

I liked how the book points out that other parts of the world have had their own types of industrial revolutions at different points in history. For instance China had it's industrial revolution during 700 C.E. I think that the reason we make such a big deal about the industrial revolution in Western Europe is because it is the most recent industrial revolution we have had and it has had the biggest effect on us. There are even problems that started because of that revolution that still bother us today. One of these problems is the need for finding new renewable resources.