“Industrialization was entirely the result of technological development.” Discuss with reference to two countries, each from a different region.

Candidates will consider the merits or otherwise of the hypothesis that technological development was the sole cause of industrialization. While the focus of the response must be within the timeframe of this topic, the industrialization of the two selected countries does not need to be contemporaneous. However, the two countries must be from different regions. Candidates must address the role of technological development and consider the ways in which it contributed to industrialization. Candidates may also consider other factors that may or may not have contributed to, or facilitated industrialization, for example the imposition of industrialization by a government, using pre-existing technologies, in order to become more competitive or to meet internal and/or external challenges. Each country may be considered separately or a thematic approach may be used where candidates wish to compare the relative importance of technological development for each country.