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A volume in the Problems in European Civilization series, this book features a collection of secondary-source essays that focus on various aspects of the Industrial Revolution. This text takes a broad view of industrialization, looking at countries other than England and examining causation back to the 16th century.
This book focuses on the role of the state in promoting a country's long-term technological progress and industrial leadership. Throughout history, a nation's rise to dominance has invariably been followed by its fall; the dominant powers of today are not the same ones that controlled the world three hundred years ago. In the same manner, economic dominance has usually been fleeting, as leading nations have routinely been caught up and surpassed by challengers. This study looks at Schumpeterian growth - currently the most important source of economic growth - which credits the ability to use technological progress for the benefit of industrial leadership as the key motor of national developm...
In pursuit of a more sophisticated and inclusive American history, the contributors to Beyond the Founders propose new directions for the study of the political history of the republic before the Civil War. In ways formal and informal, symbolic and tactile, this political world encompassed blacks, women, entrepreneurs, and Native Americans, as well as the Adamses, Jeffersons, and Jacksons, all struggling in their own ways to shape the new nation and express their ideas of American democracy. Taking inspiration from the new cultural and social histories, these political historians show that the early history of the United States was not just the product of a few "founding fathers," but was al...
“This ambitious undertaking is concerned with the melodramatic form in theatre and film and its impact on French political culture.” —H-France Review In France, both political culture and theatrical performances have drawn upon melodrama. This “melodramatic thread” helped weave the country’s political life as it moved from monarchy to democracy. By examining the relationship between public ceremonies and theatrical performance, James R. Lehning sheds light on democratization in modern France. He explores the extent to which the dramatic forms were present in the public performance of political power. By concentrating on the Republic and the Revolution and on theatrical performanc...
This unorthodox biography explores the life of an extraordinary Enlightenment woman who, by sheer force of character, parlayed a skill in midwifery into a national institution. In 1759, in an effort to end infant mortality, Louis XV commissioned Madame Angélique Marguerite Le Boursier du Coudray to travel throughout France teaching the art of childbirth to illiterate peasant women. For the next thirty years, this royal emissary taught in nearly forty cities and reached an estimated ten thousand students. She wrote a textbook and invented a life-sized obstetrical mannequin for her demonstrations. She contributed significantly to France's demographic upswing after 1760. Who was the woman, bot...
Covering the last five hundred years of global history, The Environment in World History examines the processes that have transformed the Earth and put growing pressure on natural resources. Chapters and case studies explore a wide range of issues, including: the hunting of wildlife and the loss of biodiversity in nearly every part of the globe the clearing of the world’s forests and the development of strategies to halt their decline the degradation of soils, one of the most profound and unnoticed ways that humans have altered the planet the impact of urban-industrial growth and the deepening ‘ecological footprints’ of the world’s cities the pollution of air, land and water as the ‘inevitable’ trade-off for continued economic growth worldwide. The Environment in World History offers a fresh environmental perspective on familiar world history narratives of imperialism and colonialism, trade and commerce, and technological progress and the advance of civilisation, and will be invaluable reading for all students of world history and environmental studies.
This book traces the connections among regions brought about by the movement of people, diseases, crops, technology and ideas. Drawing on examples from a wide range of geographical regions and thematic areas, noted world historian Patrick Manning guides the reader through the earliest human migrations, including the earliest hominids, their development and spread, and the controversy surrounding the rise of homo sapiens ; the rise and spread of major language groups ; an examination of civilizations, farmers and pastoralists from 3000 BCE to 500 CE ; trade patterns including the early Silk Road and maritime trade in the Mediterrane and more.
Praise for the first edition: 'Those seeking a primer on the field... might well begin here' H-Childhood, H-Net Reviews 'a succinct and deft survey... Undoubtedly this book will be a godsend to teachers... In the assured hands of Stearns, with his readily accessible style, readers will come away much better informed...' - Social History of Medicine 'Stearns's treatment is characteristically learned, conceptually sleek, and sensitive to societal and temporal variation.' - Journal of Social History 'an engaging, well-written, and thoughtful resource for readers who seek a solid understanding of the subject.' - History of Education Quarterly Childhood exists in all societies, though there is hu...
Through a sweeping historical narrative spanning centuries, Hybel traces the evolution of human civilization, from the dawn of the Renaissance to the digital age. Drawing upon diverse disciplines including history, politics, religion, economics, and environmental science, Hybel reveals how each successive wave of technological innovation, economic growth and individual political and economic freedom has fueled a destructive cycle of consumerism, exploitation, and ecological degradation. At the heart of this book lies a stark warning: our addiction to growth and consumption is driving us inexorably towards our own demise. Hybel argues that our unwavering faith in the virtues of capitalism, democracy, and technological advancement has blinded us to the existential threats facing our planet and our species. But Hybel offers more than a critique of the status quo; he presents a compelling case for radical transformation. By interrogating the intertwined forces of technology, capitalism, and individualism, Hybel challenges readers to confront the uncomfortable truths at the root of our collective predicament.
Defended by a host of passionate advocates and organizations, certain standard human rights have come to represent a quintessential component of global citizenship. There are, however, a number of societies who dissent from this orthodoxy, either in general or on particular issues, on the basis of political necessity, cultural tradition, or group interest. Human Rights in World History takes a global historical perspective to examine the emergence of this dilemma and its constituent concepts. Beginning with premodern features compatible with a human rights approach, including religious doctrines and natural rights ideas, it goes on to describe the rise of the first modern-style human rights ...