(I) It was Engels in 1844 who first referred to the Industrial Revolution in Britain. (II) For him, the transformation of Britain from a merely agricultural country into a predominantly industrial one was of a revolutionary nature. (III) In the 19th century Britain colonised most of Africa and South East Asia. (IV) Actually, the Industrial Revolution had begun in the late eighteenth century with the mechanisation of the textile industry. (V) This was soon followed by major technological and other industrial developments which made Britain the most prosperous country in the world.