Rethinking the Industrial Revolution

A talk by Professor Martin Daunton on the Industrial revolution.

Wed, 17 March 2021 - 19:00 to 20:30 GMT

This is the first in a series of lectures given by the Friends of the Flaxmill Maltings, and it will be available to watch live on Zoom.

The Flaxmill was built at the time when the economy of Britain experienced the 'great divergence'. For the first time, the level of income of Britain pulled ahead of parts of China and Bengal; and its population broke through the limits that had previously been set by famine and disease. The result was a fundamental transformation of world historical significance - and Shrewsbury and the Severn valley were major players. In the last decade or so, the way that historians have understood the transformation has changed in many ways, and the talk will reflect on these new understandings and the unresolved problems that remain.

Preparing Flax for spinning 

Martin Daunton is an author, historian and lecturer. His interests include the economic history of Britain since 1700, the shifting boundaries between the market and state, the politics of public finance, the relations between national and international economic policies, and debates over intergenerational equity. He has published and lectured widely on these areas, and is particularly concerned to engage with policy makers and practitioners with an interest in the historical background to current issues.

Please book your place on Eventbrite and we will email you with joining details before the event.