The Industrial Revolution in Britai

The Industrial Revolution in Britain was built on the use of machines in factories. Since the 1950s, Britain's manufacturing industries have replaced machine operators with computers, and this automation has led to a decline in the number of employees in many factories. Goods are bought and used much more than ever before but a lot of these goods are imported. By the beginning of the 20th century, other industrial countries like the USA were competing with Britain's exports, and countries in the Far East have been able to provide cheaper products since the 1970s. Areas located with heavy industries are suffering high unemployment. During the last 30 years, there has been a constant rise in smaller industries, known as "light industries". These ones use electricity and are not dependent on raw materials such as coal so they are "footloose", i.e. they can be located anywhere. They produce such things as washing machines or spare parts Some of these industries produce nothing at all, but provide services like distribution. The consumer boom of the 1980s and the increased leisure time of most Britons have led to rapid growth in service industries like banking, tourism, retailing and information processing, and in industries which distribute, maintain, and repair household consumer goods.