Siegfried Pollard was a British economic and labour historian who pioneered the study of economic management's role in industrialization. He advocated for examining this process at regional rather than national levels, focusing on a deeper understanding of the economic mechanisms shaping industrial development.
The latest edition of this accessible economic history presents a comprehensive survey of Britain's economic history in the twentieth centry. Extended to provide an overview of the Thatcher years and an examination of the government's radical departures in economic policy during the years 1979-1990, the text has also been revised to incorporate the latest findings from a wide range of literature and comment.
This volume has three main themes. First, there is the concept of the Industrial Revolution and its main characteristics, and the author defends both the term and the notions behind it against attempts to play down their significance. A particular interest is the comparison of what happened to Britain with similar processes in other European countries. The second theme is the set of problems facing the early entrepreneurs and managers. Their difficulties, as pioneers in the economic as well as the social sphere, are often underrated, and are here explored in detail. Last, there is an emphasis on the characteristic feature of industrialisation as a regional phenomenon, and on the significance of particular regions in the entire process. All three themes have called forth extended debate, in which these essays have played an important part.
The momentum of the British industrial revolution arose mostly in regions poorly endowed by nature, badly located, and thought backward and poor by contemporaries. Pollard examines the economic contribution made by these and similar marginal areas.
For contents and other editions, see Title Catalog.
The Industrialization of Europe 1760-1970
Universidad de Zaragoza. Ciencias Sociales 19. 1991. 467 p.La bibliografía existente sobre la Revolución Industrial alcanzó hace ya varios años unas dimensiones capaces de disuadir al historiador más entusiasta. Pese a ello, se carecía hasta la fecha de un estudio interpretativo de síntesis sobre el proceso de industrialización de Europa desde sus orígenes, a fines del XVIII, hasta el presente siglo. Este libro del profesor Pollard viene a llenar tan sorprendente vacío. Su obra constituye un valioso y sugestivo intento de explicar, por medio de procedimientos comparativos y en permanente diálogo con otras interpretaciones, la forma en que los diversos estados europeos fueron llevando a cabo dicho proceso, y la evolución que, a grandes rasgos, experimentó el sector industrial en el conjunto del continente. Trabajo, en suma, erudito y especializado, que resultará útil tanto al alumnado universitario como al historiador profesional.
Deutsch und Englisch.English and German.Papers presented at a colloquium organized by the Zentrum für Interdisziplinäre Forschung of the Universität Bielefeld, and held May 17-19, 1979.
