Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Pelican / Penguin (Non-Classics) (1977), Paperback, 384 pages
Description
"In Industry and Empire, Hobsbawm explores the origin and dramatic course of the industrial Revolution over two hundred and fifty years and its influence on social and political institutions. He describes and accounts for Britain's rise as the first industrial power, its decline from domination its special relation with the rest of the world, and the effects of this trajectory on the lives of its ordinary citizens." "This new edition includes a fascinating summary of events of the last twenty years, and an illuminating new conclusion."--Jacket.
User reviews
LibraryThing member DonSiano
So, why did the industrial revolution first happened in Britain, and not somewhere else? This is a hotly debated topic among a subset of historians, and has puzzled me for a long time. Is it due to the geography and natural resources of the Isles, the character of its people, or was it just one of
Hobsbawm is probably as well equipped as anyone to try to answer this question, and does a pretty good job of it, I think. At least his method, to concentrate on the antecedent macro-economic setting, and to compare its more or less unique features with other competing regions, rather than such vague and elusive possibilities of a superior political system or a certain theological proclivity toward work or something, appears to be sound. His focus seldom refers to personalities, nor, surprisingly, the technological inventions that were so important--he seems to assumes that they were made as a matter of course, given the business climate of the times.
The book covers much more than the industrial revolution-- it carries the narrative into the last half of the twentieth century, and covers the same ground in Wales and Scotland, too. His writing style is a pleasure to read and the book is accompanied by 52 graphs in an appendix that brings some additional meat to the table. This is quite possibly the best book around for understanding this critical period in the progress of man, and rewards time well spent.
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those accidents of history? More than that, how do you properly formulate such a question, and what methods can be used to arrive at a sensible answer?Hobsbawm is probably as well equipped as anyone to try to answer this question, and does a pretty good job of it, I think. At least his method, to concentrate on the antecedent macro-economic setting, and to compare its more or less unique features with other competing regions, rather than such vague and elusive possibilities of a superior political system or a certain theological proclivity toward work or something, appears to be sound. His focus seldom refers to personalities, nor, surprisingly, the technological inventions that were so important--he seems to assumes that they were made as a matter of course, given the business climate of the times.
The book covers much more than the industrial revolution-- it carries the narrative into the last half of the twentieth century, and covers the same ground in Wales and Scotland, too. His writing style is a pleasure to read and the book is accompanied by 52 graphs in an appendix that brings some additional meat to the table. This is quite possibly the best book around for understanding this critical period in the progress of man, and rewards time well spent.
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Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
384 p.; 7.1 inches
ISBN
0140208984 / 9780140208986
Local notes
Pelican Economic History of Britain
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