New processes were developed to produce stronger iron. In the mid-1800s, Henry Bessemer developed a process to improve the production of steel, a mixture of iron and other materials. Steel triggered the growth of still other industries. Improvements in transportation and communication. During the Industrial Revolution, advances were made in transportation and communication. In Britain, roads made of longer-lasting surfaces and canals connected all parts of the nation. A mining engineer, George Stephenson, developed the first steam-powered locomotive, opening the way for the building of railroads. Railroads and steam-powered ships improved transportation around the world. In 1837, an American inventor, Samuel F.B. Morse, devised the telegraph, which revolutionized communications.
Why Britain took the lead. Great Britain enjoyed many advantages that helped it take the lead in the Industrial Revolution. It had plentiful iron and coal resources and a good transportation system. It was a leading commercial power so merchants had the capital to invest in new enterprises. It had colonies that supplied raw materials and bought finished goods. The British government encouraged improvements in transportation and used its navy~ to protect British trade. Finally, the British accepted the idea that people could move ahead in society by hard work and talent.
The Industrial Revolution Spreads.
After the 1850s, the Industrial Revolution entered a new phase as Belgium, France, Germany, the United States, and later Japan industrialized rapidly. The French government supported projects to improve transportation. After Germany became unified in the 1870s, its industries forged ahead.
The United States used its vast natural resources as well as capital from European investors to build railroads and set up iron and steel industries. By the 1890s, the United States had overtaken Great Britain as the world's leading industrial nation. The nations of southern and eastern Europe, however, remained largely agricultural.

The problem of the energy:

The shortage of trees for lumber had led to the use of coal for heating, but coal mines constantly flooded. Newcomen's steam engine, invented in 1705, was an inefficient but acceptable method of pumping water out of the mines. It could not, however, generate power. The new textile machines could be driven by water power, but that would
have set severe limits to the available locations. Furthermore, lack of
lumber threatened to cut short the industrial growth.