Week 2: When Growth Begins, Why England? Flashcards
What is the Industrious revolution?
Before the industrial revolution
-longer hours
-children and women work
-protestant work ethic
What was at the heart of the IR?
-interrelated succession of technological changes
-mechanical devices, the use inanimate power in pace of animal
and human energy
- In particular in textile production, and in mining and steel
How did technological progress relate to the IR?
-Improvement in getting and working of raw materials
metallurgy and chemical industries
-New forms of industrial organization: the factory system
Examples of technological changes in textiles ?
-a spinster -> spinning jenny
Reasons for industrial revolution?
-Institutions
-Geography
-Human Capital
-Demographics
-Genetics
Issue with just using Human Capital as an explanation for IR?
-compulsory for schooling introduced in England in 1870s so no correlation
-Mokyr - ‘If England led the rest of the World in the Industrial Revolution, it was despite, not because of her formal education system’
Institutional change in Europe?
-The decline of Feudalism in Western Europe following the Black Death
-The gradual dilution of the Monarch’s power in England
Magna Carta 1215
English Civil war
Glorious Revolution 1688
All resulted in checks (through Parliament) on the Monarch’s
power
- The French Revolution
Allen’s theory?
- Britain had an early lead in wool textiles
- Success in gaining colonies enlarged the market for British
wares - The growth of London was thus stimulated (where goods were
exported from) - The availability of cheap coal allowed London to grow (there
was not enough wood in the country to allow London to grow
as it did) - This stimulated the demand for labor in English cities so that
English wages (and therefore living standards) were the highest
in the world - The growth of cities and the high wage economy stimulated
agriculture - High wages and cheap energy created a demand for
technology that substituted capital and energy for labor
Explain 1 (Britain had an early lead in wool textiles) of Allen Theory
-Black Death destroyed serfdom
- the population decline allowed the conversion of
mass amounts of land from arable to pasture
- Better fed sheep produced high quality long wool, suitable for
worsted, increasing the supply to the wool draperies
Explain 2 ( Success in gaining colonies enlarged the market for
British wares
) of Allen Theory
-colonization began in the 17th century, successful trade links established (unlike Spain & Portugal who relied on Bullion markets)
Explain 3 (The growth of London was thus stimulated
) of Allen Theory
-main export port for English wool
Explain 4 ( The availability of cheap coal allowed London to grow) of Allen theory
-cheaper than wood and energy was Cheap in England
Explain 5( This stimulated the demand for labor in English cities so
that English wages (and therefore living standards) were
the highest in the world) of Allen Theory
-London real wages were highest in the world
Explain 6 ( The growth of cities and the high wage economy
stimulated agriculture) of Allen Theory
-Labour productivity in agriculture rose
Explain 7 (High wages and cheap energy created a demand for
technology that substituted capital and energy for labour
) of Allen Theory
-self explanatory
Critiques of Human capital as a reason for IR?
-Kelly, Mokyr reading
- did not have better education
What does Kelly and Mokyr say about why England for IR?
- they focus on labour quality rather than high wages like Allen for why England SPEARHEADED the IR?
What 2 dimensions of labour quality are given by Kelly and Mokyr?
-Physical and Cognitive Quality
-Human capital
England, physical and cognitive quality? (kelly and mokyr)
-superior physical and cognitive capabilities due to better nutrition
- higher agricultural productivity and the capacity to import food from the Continent and Ireland
-English Poor Law mitigating malnutrition and improving labor quality. Insured food accessibility for the neediest, indirectly boosting the quality of the workforce
England, human capital? (kelly and mokyr
-Britain’s apprenticeship system in developing a highly skilled artisan class. This system facilitated the transmission of tacit knowledge crucial for various industries, especially those reliant on coal.
-Unlike the more rigid guild-controlled systems in Europe
-The Poor Law’s provision of parish apprenticeships, even for those unable to afford the fees, created a robust pipeline of skilled artisans.
Difference between Allen and Kelly and Mokyr
-Allen says high wages due to demand of labour from cotton…
-Kelly and Mokyr say due to high labour quality these wages are high
What other people critique Allen’s argument of high wages leading to I.R?
Malthus 1824- efficiency of labour
in France is less than in England
even though wages are similar
Christine MacLeod findings?
-examines patent 1660-1800
-30.8% saving capital compared to 4.2% saving labour
-main goal was to improve efficiency and reduce costs
undermine Allen
Why was labour saving technologies built (Allen) and example?
-Steam engine, cotton mill
- innovations were initially only profitable in Britain due to the unique combination of high labor costs and cheap energy
