Key Question 1 Where did the Industrial Revolution begin, and how did it diffuse? The manufacturing of goods began long before the Industrial Revolution. The quality of production varied according to place, though India was considered the best at the time. However, in price and quality, Europe?s products could not match those of other parts of the world. Commercial companies, including the Dutch and British East India Companies, laid the groundwork for Europe?s colonial expansion. Europeans gained control over local industries in India, Indonesia, and elsewhere, profiting from political chaos that ensued in the wake of European intervention, and pitted local factions against one another. Vocabulary