The Early Industrial Revolution

This title, first published in 1984, focuses primarily on the early Industrial Revolution (c. 1780-1820) in the Stockport district. As the Industrial Revolution in England was the first instance of successful industrialisation, it can still provide many social and economic lessons and also furnish essential evidence for continuing debate over ideology and theory. Therefore, this title will be of interest to students of both history and economics.

Lynn, Massachusetts, once the leading shoe manufacturing city of the United States, was in many ways a model of the industrial city that much of America was to become. This study of the early industrial revolution in Lynn focuses on the journeymen shoemakers--leading participants in the making of the institutions, ideas, and events that form central themes in the history of working people in America. Spanning the time period from just after the American Revolution to the Civil War, it places special emphasis on the social changes that accompany industrialization, and the impact of those changes on workers. It examines the shoe industry and shoemaking in detail: wages and conditions of work, social clubs and political parties, strikes as well as schools, and trade unions as well as temperance societies. It also explores property ownership and social mobility, the origins and nature of class consciousness and class ideology, and the relations between workers and manufacturers across the spectrum of social institutions. This rich, detailed study of the industrial revolution in a single community is one of the few books available that combines labor history and social history, revealing the fullness and breadth in the experience of the working people.

This book identifies the strategic changes that affected Britain from 1750-1850.

This text is a wide-ranging survey of the principal economic and social aspects of the first Industrial Revolution.

World-renowned economist Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, explains that we have an opportunity to shape the fourth industrial revolu­tion, which will fundamentally alter how we live and work. Schwab argues that this revolution is different in scale, scope and complexity from any that have come before. Characterized by a range of new technologies that are fusing the physical, digital and biological worlds, the developments are affecting all disciplines, economies, industries and governments, and even challenging ideas about what it means to be human. Artificial intelligence is already all around us, from supercomputers, drones and virtual assistants to 3D printing, DNA sequencing, smart thermostats, wear­able sensors and microchips smaller than a grain of sand. But this is just the beginning: nanomaterials 200 times stronger than steel and a million times thinner than a strand of hair and the first transplant of a 3D printed liver are already in development. Imagine “smart factories” in which global systems of manu­facturing are coordinated virtually, or implantable mobile phones made of biosynthetic materials. The fourth industrial revolution, says Schwab, is more significant, and its ramifications more profound, than in any prior period of human history. He outlines the key technologies driving this revolution and discusses the major impacts expected on government, business, civil society and individu­als. Schwab also offers bold ideas on how to harness these changes and shape a better future—one in which technology empowers people rather than replaces them; progress serves society rather than disrupts it; and in which innovators respect moral and ethical boundaries rather than cross them. We all have the opportunity to contribute to developing new frame­works that advance progress.

The 'Industrial Revolution' was a pivotal point in British history that occurred between the mid-eighteenth and mid-nineteenth centuries and led to far reaching transformations of society. With the advent of revolutionary manufacturing technology productivity boomed. Machines were used to spin and weave cloth, steam engines were used to provide reliable power, and industry was fed by the construction of the first railways, a great network of arteries feeding the factories. Cities grew as people shifted from agriculture to industry and commerce. Hand in hand with the growth of cities came rising levels of pollution and disease. Many people lost their jobs to the new machinery, whilst working conditions in the factories were grim and pay was low. As the middle classes prospered, social unrest ran through the working classes, and the exploitation of workers led to the growth of trade unions and protest movements. In this Very Short Introduction, Robert C. Allen analyzes the key features of the Industrial Revolution in Britain, and the spread of industrialization to other countries. He considers the factors that combined to enable industrialization at this time, including Britain's position as a global commercial empire, and discusses the changes in technology and business organization, and their impact on different social classes and groups. Introducing the 'winners' and the 'losers' of the Industrial Revolution, he looks at how the changes were reflected in evolving government policies, and what contribution these made to the economic transformation. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Why did the industrial revolution take place in 18th century Britain and not elsewhere in Europe or Asia? Robert Allen argues that the British industrial revolution was a successful response to the global economy of the 17th and 18th centuries.