Laissez-faire, a French term meaning 'let do,' was the dominant economic and political doctrine in Britain for much of the Industrial Revolution. This ideology advocated for minimal government interference in economic affairs, promoting free markets, free trade, and individual enterprise. Proponents, influenced by economists like Adam Smith, believed that the economy would self-regulate and prosper without state intervention. This policy approach shaped legislation concerning trade, labor conditions, and business regulation throughout the period, though it was gradually challenged by calls for social and factory reform.