Progress and Poverty: An Economic and Social History of Britain 1700-1850

by Martin Daunton

British society and the British economy underwent major structural change over the period from 1700 to 1850, as people moved from agriculture and rural life to industry and towns. Unlike previous textbooks on this period, written either from a social and political standpoint, or about economics in the abstract, this book incorporates the work of social and political historians with revisionist work on British economic growth. It stresses the connections between the economy and debates over public policy, and examines the regional variations in agriculture and industry, with particular attention to the differences between England and Scotland. Much revisionist work concerns the operation of assumed national markets; the aim of the book is to show how these markets were formed, and how a national economy was created.

Genres: Economics, History, Nonfiction

636 pages, Hardcover

First published August 24, 1995

About the author

Martin James Daunton is Professor of Economic History at the University of Cambridge.

Reviews

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most thorough account of the British Industrial and Agricultural Revolutions I have read. Based firmly on geographical specificity it really changed how I saw the process: more gradual, more differentiated, more partial and also throws incredible light on subsequent British economic weakness: the country never really has connected technical education to much of its productive efforts. And the elite have never been that interested in manufacturing. The class system remains an obstacle to prosperity and the talent that goes into non value add activity started back then.