British Dominance. The creation and spread of the modern factory system that began within the British textile industry and later spread to other English industries was a tangible sign of a future Europe-wide Industrial Revolution. As the factory system spread gradually through England, British manufactured goods tended to be cheaper than those manufactured on the Continent and in many cases better made. During the first half of the nineteenth century the British dominated the market for consumer goods produced in factories. Other countries, notably France, the Netherlands, and what later became Belgium, had many of the same social, economic, and technological preconditions for industrialization; however, Britain had many important advantages. Rapid population growth provided plenty of workers and a growing demand for manufactured goods. In terms of natural resources, Britain had a productive agricultural sector...