Document 7
… the cotton industry commanded the central role in britain’s early industrialization. cotton,
as a fiber, had characteristics relatively easy to mechanize; it broke less often than wool and,
particularly, linen. further, cotton was a new product line in europe, more open to
innovation. it had been widely used in india, and an asian market for cotton cloth already
existed. in england, however, its novelty facilitated the introduction of new machines, though
the raw fiber had to be imported. workers were displaced indirectly by the rise of cotton
because traditional linen production declined. the lack of a large established labor force in
cotton obviated [made unnecessary] the need to prompt many traditional workers to change
their ways directly, and this fact limited resistance. at the same time, cotton had great appeal
as a product: it could be brightly colored for a population increasingly eager to make a
statement through clothing, and it was easily washed, which appealed to people who were
developing more stringent [demanding] notions of personal cleanliness. cotton was in
demand, and this invited new techniques to produce the cloth in quantity.…
source: peter n. stearns, the industrial revolution in world history, westview press
according to peter n. stearns, what was one effect of the cotton trade on great britain? [1]