The Industrial Revolution

(Hardback)

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The confluence of developments in technology, labor and management practice, and market expansion in the period from 1760 to 1850 so drastically altered the context of economic relations that, taken together, these changes have earned the name, Industrial Revolution. This book, the first in a series of titles to explore turning points and important events in business history, explains the nature of these changes, how they came about, how people reacted to the new economic environment, and the direct impact that they have had on the way business is conducted today. This volume will address how the Industrial Revolution played out in Europe, the United States, and the rest of the world, emphasizing the role of the government in both promoting and regulating commerce. It will clarify the important distinctions between the original Industrial Revolution and the second Industrial Revolution (approximately 1850 to the early 20th century), which was characterized by accelerating growth, brought about the introduction of the internal combustion engine, electric power, and other technological and managerial developments. Featuring biographical sketches, photos, a timeline, a glossary of key terms, and excerpts of primary documents, The Industrial Revolution reveals the daily life of the entrepreneurs, bureaucrats, and workers who experienced the dramatic changes in technology, business, and trade, and the resulting changes in society and culture.

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Horn explains for the general reader how the Industrial Revolution resulted in the system of trade, conquest and colonization practiced by the West up to the present, how Western domestic practices presaged its behavior internationally, and how Western states worked for or against industrialization. He describes the standards of living during the Industrial Revolution, the theoretical and historical foundations of what became a new economy, the impact of technological improvements and the elaboration of the factory system, the reasons why Britain was the first, the realities of dealing with dominant economic powers, the features of industrialization that led to the new world order, and the dynamics of a system set by supply, demand and fashion. * Reference & Research Book News *

Author Bio

Jeff Horn is Associate Professor of History at Manhattan College. He serves on the editorial board for the Proceedings of the Western Society for French History and is a book review editor for the on-line discussion group, H-France. He is the author of two monographs and has published widely, both in French and in English, on 18th- and 19th-Century French history and the emergence of the Industrial Revolution. He was co-convenor of Reconceptualizing the Industrial Revolution, an international conference from which an edited volume will be published in 2007.