Revolution

30 March 2013 is an historic date.... It marks: the death of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (2002); the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan (1981); an IRA bomb attack on the House of Commons (1979); the invasion of Austria by Russia (1945); the day the US bought Alaska (1867) and.....
the publication of this book: 'Britain's Industrial Revolution - the makings of a manufacturing people 1700-1870'. It's written by Barrie Trinder, writer, lecturer and consultant on industrial archaeology and social history. Cover photograph by jennyfreckles, amateur photographer and blogger!

Bearing in mind the recent musings on copyright, I have to quickly say that in this case the publisher (Carnegie Publishing) did everything perfectly properly and the photograph is used with my full consent. I'm actually really thrilled to see what a great job they have done with it, after they spotted a mono version on my blog (well, more likely on Google images in the first place).

This is not just a boast post (though it is that!) but I do think the book looks rather interesting for someone who, like me, is interested in Britain's social history. It explores the industrial revolution, one of the paradigm shifts in human history, which happened first in Britain. It changed forever the way in which goods were made: from small cottage industries, huge new factories and mills developed, using new inventions in machinery, new sources of power and new ways of transporting goods - our roads, railways and canals. New ways of working and living were needed: a concentrated workforce in rapidly growing towns and cities. It led to huge economic benefits, but it brought pollution, disfiguration of a green and pleasant country and increasing inequality between rich and poor. The industrial revolution created this country and the society we recognise today. What interests me too is that, though Britain and many other 'developed' countries are now in a post-industrial age (the death throes recorded by such as the photographer Ian Beesley, whose work I mentioned earlier this month), in other areas of the world (like China, India) the industrial revolution is still gaining pace. I'm not sure that the lessons we could have learned have been heeded....