CBSE Class 10 Answered

During the initial period of industrialisation, the most dynamic industries in Britain were cotton and metals. Up until the first phase, which lasted till the 1840s, the cotton industry grew at a rapid pace and emerged as the leading sector in British economy. After that, however, the iron and steel industry started growing at an exceeding rate. With the expansion of the railways in Britain and its colonies like India, the demand for iron kept on increasing. As a result, by the year 1873, Britain was exporting iron and steel worth about 77 million pounds, i.e., double the value of its cotton export.