AP World History · Causation
Which development most directly helps explain the change in the United Kingdom's share shown in the table?
Estimated shares of world manufacturing output
| Region | 1750 | 1830 | 1900 |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 32.8% | 29.8% | 6.2% |
| India and present-day Pakistan | 24.5% | 17.6% | 1.7% |
| United Kingdom | 1.9% | 9.5% | 18.5% |
Values are estimated percentage shares of total world manufacturing output.
Data adapted from Paul Bairoch, “International Industrialization Levels from 1750 to 1980,” <em>Journal of European Economic History</em> 11 (1982).
Which development most directly helps explain the change in the United Kingdom's share shown in the table?
Answer and explanation
Answer: A: The expansion of mechanized, fossil-fuel-powered factory production
The United Kingdom's share rose from 1.9 percent in 1750 to 18.5 percent in 1900. The most direct explanation is the expansion of mechanized, fossil-fuel-powered factory production, which raised manufacturing output and productivity, so A is correct. Choice B is tempting because population growth supplied labor and consumers, but it does not by itself explain the productivity jump. Choice C, imperial trade, supported industry with materials and markets but is less direct. Choice D, agricultural change, is an indirect cause compared with mechanized production.
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