One of the primary blockers that comes up whenever an industrial revolution in the Roman Empire timeline turns up is that Rome was so attached to slavery - which in turn depresses demand for goods, making the economy grow more slowly, and means that the wealth in circulation is too little to justify the higher prices needed to encourage industrial development.
So the idea is, without overthrowing the Empire, end the institution of mass-slavery in Rome.
My ideas
1) Increase the tax on slave sales from 2% to 10% - drastically reducing the profitability of slaves.
2) (Optional) End the rule stating that a slave cannot be freed before he is 30.
I imagine that with more freedmen (and as a result, more children) the population would be higher, but have more agency, and start their own crafts - increasing what can be traded, and therefore more trade.
Thoughts?