Society and Economy in Modern Britain 1700-1850

For both contemporaries and later historians the Industrial Revolution is viewed as a turning point' in modern British history. There is no doubt that change occurred, but what was the nature of that change and how did affect rural and urban society? Beginning with an examination of the nature of history and Britain in 1700, this volume focuses on the economic and social aspects of the Industrial Revolution. Unlike many previous textbooks on the same period, it emphasizes British history, and deals with developments in Wales, Scotland, and Ireland in their own right. It is the emphasis on the diversity, not the uniformity of experience, on continuities as well as change in this crucial period of development, which makes this volume distinctive. In his companion title Richard Brown completes his examination of the period and looks at the changes that took place in Britain's political system and in its religious affiliations.

Chapter 1 The nature of history; Chapter 2 Britain in the early eighteenth century; Chapter 3 The revolution in numbers— demographic change 1700-1850; Chapter 4 Change on the land; Chapter 5 The revolution in technologies— industrial change; Chapter 6 The revolution in industrial organization; Chapter 7 The revolution in communications— land and water; Chapter 8 The revolution in overseas trade; Chapter 9 Capital and banking; Chapter 10 The social and institutional bases for economic change; Chapter 11 Railways—the great connectors; Chapter 12 The economic revolutions—an overview; Chapter 13 Rent; Chapter 14 Capital; Chapter 15 Wages; Chapter 16 The impact of economic growth—a social revolution?; Chapter 17 The impact of economic growth— change in the countryside 1700–1850; Chapter 18 The impact of economic growth—the urban explosion 1700–1850; Chapter 19 Culture, economic and social change 1700–1850;

Richard Brown