The Industrial Revolution
In Our Time
00:00
The History of Coal in Japan
England is peculiarly well placed in terms of easy access and relatively cheap coal. The part of the world that is most similar geopolitically is Japan, an island group of a major continental landmass. But again, I think Melvin's point is correct. You cannot think of any Japanese inventor in the 18th century applying a set of new scientific ideas to produce major changes in technology. This is why we have to look at the environment and the resource environment and state policy and politics.
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