To understand why Great Britain's percentage of the world's manufacturing dropped from 32% in 1870 to 14% in 1913, we need to consider the historical and economic context, as well as the manufacturing changes indicated by the data in the table.
1. Observation of Decline:
- Great Britain’s manufacturing percentage significantly decreased from 32% in 1870 to 14% in 1913. This is a substantial drop, indicating a great change in its global manufacturing position.
2. Comparison with Other Countries:
- Germany increased its share from 13% to 16%.
- Russia increased from 4% to 6%.
- Italy grew from 2% to 3%.
- Great Britain is the only country among the listed which exhibited a significant decline in its manufacturing share.
3. Economic Changes & Competition:
- During this period, other nations were undergoing industrialization. Germany, in particular, saw a rise, indicating strong growth in its manufacturing industry. Similarly, Russia and Italy also experienced industrial growth.
- France, although it saw a drop, wasn’t as significant as Great Britain's.
4. Finding the Explanation:
- The options provided are:
1. Great Britain's economy could not sustain manufacturing.
2. Other countries started manufacturing more goods.
3. Great Britain started to become a service economy.
5. Evaluation of Each Option:
- Great Britain's economy could not sustain manufacturing: While this might seem plausible, the historical context of Britain’s robust economy during this time suggests the issue wasn't an overall economic failure.
- Other countries started manufacturing more goods: Given the data, the increased percentages in countries like Germany, Russia, and Italy support the idea that these countries' growing industries likely took away Great Britain's share.
- Great Britain started to become a service economy: Although Britain did later shift towards a more service-oriented economy, this significant trend became more noticeable in the post-World War II era rather than between 1870 and 1913.
6. Conclusion:
- The most likely explanation for the decline in Great Britain’s percentage of world manufacturing is that other countries started manufacturing more goods, thereby increasing their share and reducing Britain’s dominance in global manufacturing.
Thus, the appropriate answer is:
Other countries started manufacturing more goods.
