The period from the death of Elizabeth 1st into the first half of the 18th century has often been called the age of expansion, mainly with regard to empire building and colonization, together with foreign trade. It was a great era for trading companies and the gradual winning of maritime supremacy over Spain, Holland and France. But it was regarded by some as a period of stagnation at home. Industry and agriculture were supposed to have languished from the death of Elizabeth until the second half of the 18th century and the industrial revolution. That believe is now regarded as an error. It is true that progress was uneven during the 17th century due to political unrest and civil war. But advances were made in almost every area of economic life. As early as 1646 it was advocated that the state should provide schools for the poor and state assistance was demanded for the children of the poor. These ideas were not put into practice largely for two reasons, the unsettled condition of the country, and the fact that the upper classes did not favour such reform.
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