HIST 122 Lecture Notes - Water Frame, Zaibatsu, Sergei Witte
15 Apr 2013
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Document Summary
It was a change in the degree of change: a fundamental discontinuity. Mid-late 18th century to early-mid 19th century. Accelerated structural change in technology, economy, and society. Revolutionized the economy of the west and eventually the rest of the world. Inventions and innovations (1) advances in broad fronts: iron smelting cotton sources of power, textile, metallurgy, mining, transport, agriculture, and power production. Implications? (2) two clusters of inventions: (a) before 1733 (1712-1733) newcomen engine, flying shuttle, (b) after 1768 jenny, water frame, watt s engine, seed drill, etc. Food canning, matchsticks, safety lamps, lawn mowers, vaccinations, etc. Initially very limited impact on the economy: from 1760 to 1800 only. Financial constraints due to rapid population expansions and new wars and taxes. Single reason theories: traditional agrarian structures in continent, difference in english character . Racism did not create slavery, slavery created racism . Profit form slavery enriched merchants : now not supported.
