Canal building in Europe

Abstract

[Extract] The years after 1750 saw a significant burst of canal building, first in Britain and then across Europe, as Dutch engineering techniques spread and industrialization created new demand for cheap and reliable ways to move raw materials and finished products. For centuries Europeans had been altering the course of rivers to aid transport. Such alterations usually involved straightening the course of a river or deepening it to help the passage of boats. The process was known as canalization, and the waterways created were often referred to as navigations.