The Change of British Industry

Since the beginning of the twentieth century British industry has changed, and many of the industrial problems today have arisen because of this change.

In the past, the traditional British exports were coal, ships, machinery and textiles, especially cotton and wool. The mining, ship-building, engineering and textile-producing districts of the north of England, South Wales and Clydeside and Scotland used to have the worst working and living conditions in the country. However, two things have happened since 1945. The first is that wages and working conditions have improved greatly in the traditional industries. The second, however, is that the demand for workers in these industries has decreased. Many men from the old mining communities in Durham and elsewhere have had to learn new skills, and they and their families have had to move to other parts of the country. Many small towns and villages have been deserted and their traditional way of life has died. Furthermore, automation and mechanization have led to a lower demand for labor, and again men have become redundant and have been forced to move to new jobs and new surroundings.

The newer manufacturing industries—machine tools, motor vehicles, electrical goods, oil and its by-products, chemicals, plastics and so on—have tended to grow in the Midlands and the southeast of England. Today over a quarter of the population of Britain lives in the London area. At times people have spoken of "Two Nations"—the prosperous south and the depressed north. This is an oversimplification, but the government has had to establish regional development areas in the north and west. These areas are entitled to receive grants and assistance of various kinds. For instance, firms building premises in the development areas are entitled to special rates of interest on investment loans as an incentive.

In the future, industry will no doubt change again. The discovery of gas and oil in the North Sea, for example, has already started to make a difference to Scottish cities like Aberdeen and Dundeen. Then, with still more automation and mechanization, there will be an increasing need for industries to serve leisure-time activities—tourism, the hotel trade, transport, sports equipment and facilities, and so on.

Short Answer Questions

1. What led to the decreased number of workers in the traditional industries?
2. Where did the newer manufacturing industries usually develop?
3. Where is the most densely populated area?
4. What privileges did the country give to the north and west?
5. Why did the government give privileges in those areas?

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