Economic Expansion and Social Change: England, 1500-1700: Volume I: People, Land and Towns

by C.G.A. Clay

Historical understanding of the dynamics of economic and social change in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries has been transformed by an enormous volume of original research. A fascinating picture has emerged of an economy and society in turmoil under the influence of population growth, inflation, the commercialization of agriculture, the growth of a huge capital city, the emergence of new forms of manufacturing, and changes in the international economic context. Traditional forms of production, traditional social structures and traditional values all came under increasingly insistent attack from the forces of change, leading to radical economic and social readjustments.

Genres: History

282 pages, Hardcover

First published December 20, 1984

Reviews

[Paul Baldowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

A detailed, but interesting, account of the many factors that fundamentally, and irrevocably, changed the structure of society in England.

The nation went from a populace but largely self-sufficient landscape of farmers and craftsmen, to a dependent structure of rich landowners, paid labourers, wily merchants and gild monitored tradesmen. Disease, inflation, agricultural techniques, transport, and numerous other factors all coincided to create a much wider gap between the richest and the poorest, with many shades of struggle in the middle. The book breaks the key changes down into chapters and sub-section, with a very detailed index and bibliography (amounting to some 31 pages at the end of the book).

The rich tapestry of research behind this means even after almost 30 years of further research, counter-claims and unearthed evidence, many theories remain true and the detail makes for many fine jumping off points into other areas and studies.