Two stage Industrial Revolution

[BurningWickerman]

I was thinking recently,that it was fairly how the industrial revolution happened all in 150 years and once the drive started it didn't stop or plateau at any point.

Is their any way we could have ended up having the first 80 or so years of Industrial Revolutions development continue as normalthen a plateau for a decent amount of time. This would be great for an ATL because it gives time for everyone too catch their breath, all the superpowers plateauing and suddenly all lot more predictable, and even matched.

Also if the scientific, philosphical, political development is continuing at the same rate it's just not the technological development being translated into everyday life and business, how would this effect the perception of the world.
How would views on monarchies and imperialism change, or marxism or the environment.

I was wondering, if the canal owners/aristocrats had their way and the railway was blocked and dismissed as unsafe, inefficent and dangerous.
On one of the first train journeys, with an MP as a special guest, he got excited, stood up and got blown backwards of the carriage and died. It was very nearly a serious setback for the inventers and promoters of the railway.
What if it was more serious and the railways became unpopular and canals stayed fairly important.

Also how early can we get the airships in?

 

[wkwillis]

We might have gone with railroads instead of canals. But getting the railroads not to work when the canals had already developed would have been difficult.
The problem is getting rid of steam altogether.
If we want canals without railroads, then increase the population density of England with potatos from an earlier trip to the Americas. Then canals make sense before the steam technology is developed.
With a larger British population the fall of Britain to the Northmen does not take place at all. Britain and the rest of the islands are a Celtic sea of peace in the fall of the Roman empire. The artisans of all Europe flee to safety behind the British navy. Arthur founds a dynasty that survives and keeps the torch of civilisation burning. The Arthurian legions keep in training building canals as well as roads. This sucks commerce away from the coast and protects against raiders, too.

 

[BurningWickerman]

It would work, but I think the POD seems way back. The plateau only has to exist about 30+ years.

I was thinking more of the canal owners/traders, aristocracy and conservative (as opposed to progressive) politicians getting toghether and forcing a act through parliament banning railways, maybe 1810. A few severe accidents, maybe involving some more high profile victims, would strengthen the view that they're dangerous. Maybe a few steam ships accidents wouldn't get rid of them completly, but make them thought of as only useful for basic cargo and trade and unfit for human pasengers (except for sailors but who said they were human )

Im relying on the close mindedness of the victorian era more than anything else.

 

[wkwillis]

It would work, but I think the POD seems way back. The plateau only has to exist about 30+ years.

I was thinking more of the canal owners/traders, aristocracy and conservative (as opposed to progressive) politicians getting toghether and forcing a act through parliament banning railways, maybe 1810. A few severe accidents, maybe involving some more high profile victims, would strengthen the view that they're dangerous. Maybe a few steam ships accidents wouldn't get rid of them completly, but make them thought of as only useful for basic cargo and trade and unfit for human pasengers (except for sailors but who said they were human )

Im relying on the close mindedness of the victorian era more than anything else.

Other people in other countries would have built railroads and once they did it would be too obvious that railroads would be good for the country.

 

[Straha]

Well in this ATL with Tech Development plateauing from the 1820's to possible the 1870's we may see China do a slower version of a meiji reformation and become stronger earlier. Imagine if in the 1860's the brits face a china with close to equal military tech?

 

[Rick Robinson]

The idea of a plateau period is inherently plausible. Technology often progresses by fairly rapid leaps, followed by a much longer period of consolidation and refinement. A good example is the development of the full-rigged ship. Western European ships changed dramatically in the 15th century; then development slowed as designs stabilized, and the difference between ships of 1700 and 1800 (or even somewhat earlier/later) is pretty subtle.

But for a plateau between the canal/stagecoach era and steam, due to political causes, is more difficult. Established canal companies might not like railroad competition, but the same commercial interests that supported canal building would push for adoption of railroads. Wkwillis has a better scenario, IMHO, with the canal era developing earlier, before steam technology is developed.

Another possible plateau period could be between the steam era and the electric era. Remember that understanding of electricity was very vague, even on the level of theoretical physics, well into the 19th century. It did not really "fit" with the Newtonian clockwork model of the universe. You could easily have a situation where steam develops to a mid-19th c. level, while electricity and magnetism remain poorly understood phenomena with no practical applications.

This has interesting implications for railroads - they are much harder to run without a telegraph. You'd probably see things like pneumatic signalling systems, etc.

-- Rick

 

[Bill Cameron]

On one of the first train journeys, with an MP as a special guest, he got excited, stood up and got blown backwards of the carriage and died. It was very nearly a serious setback for the inventers and promoters of the railway.

No. He crossed in front of a locomotive misunderstanding the speed at which it was moving and was struck. His error was understandable and your point remains the same however.

I'd vote for WKWillis' idea about a much earlier start for canals. Yes, the Romans had them and the Chinese too, but we're talking about using them in the way that Britain did for those fifty years or so before the railroad.


Bill

 

[Straha]

This plateauing period may mean that more countries could pull a japan and catch up to the west.