Introduction -- Britain's energy crisis in the seventeenth century -- The first Atlantic economy, 1700-1776 -- The end of the Charcoal Iron Age -- Feeding England, 1760-1846 : a view from the Celtic fringe -- Henry Cort and the primacy of Britain -- Robert Owen (1771-1858) -- Demographic determinants of British and American building cyckes, 1870-1913 -- Long swings and the Atlantic economy -- A cauldron of rebirth : the Industrial Revolution and the Welsh language -- A plea for an organic approach to economic growth
Summary
In recent years it has become commonplace to downplay notions of an industrial revolution and argue instead that Britain's transformation was gradual and incremental. In The Industrial Revolution and the Atlantic Economy Brinley Thomas contests this view, arguing that change in the energy base and hence in technology has enabled Britain to overcome an energy crisis and sustain dramatic population growth. Throughout these essays illustrate the organic approach to economic growth that Brinley Thomas pioneered
Analysis
Economic conditions History, 1714-1901
Great Britain
Notes
Essays, with some revisions and updating, most of which were previously published in various journals
