Title The social cost of cheap food : labour and the political economy of food distribution in Britain, 1830-1914 / Sébastien Rioux

Published Montreal ; Kingston ; London ; Chicago : McGill-Queen's University Press, 2019 ©2019

Click on the following:
EBSCO eBooks

Copies

Description 1 online resource (240 pages) Contents Introduction; 1. From National to World Food Production; 2. Public Markets; 3. Street Sellers; 4. A Nation of Shopkeepers; 5. Large-Scale Retailers; Conclusion; Appendix: Money, Weights, and Measures; Notes; Bibliography; Index Summary "The distribution of food played a considerable yet largely unrecognized role in the economic history of Victorian and Edwardian Britain. In the midst of rapid urbanization and industrialization, retail competition intensified and the channels by which food made it to the market became vital to the country's economic success. Illustrating the pivotal importance of food distribution in Britain between 1830 and 1914, The Social Cost of Cheap Food argues that labour exploitation in the distribution system was the key to cheap food. Through an analysis of labour dynamics and institutional changes in the distributive sector, Sébastien Rioux demonstrates that economic development and the rising living standards of the working class were premised upon the growing insecurity and chronic poverty of street sellers, shop assistants, and small shopkeepers. Rioux reveals that food distribution, far from being a passive sphere of economic activity, provided a dynamic space for the reduction of food prices. Positing food distribution as a core element of social and economic development under capitalism, The Social Cost of Cheap Food reflects on the transformation of the labour market and its intricate connection to the history of food and society."-- Provided by publisher Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index Notes Online resource; title from PDF title page (JSTOR, viewed on October 23, 2019) Subject Food industry and trade -- Great Britain -- History -- 19th century Food industry and trade -- Great Britain -- History -- 20th century Labor -- Great Britain -- History -- 19th century Labor -- Great Britain -- History -- 20th century HISTORY / Europe / Great Britain / Victorian Era (1837-1901). Food industry and trade Labor Great Britain Genre/Form Electronic books History Form Electronic book ISBN 9780773559578 0773559574 9780773559585 0773559582

  Permalink