Technology and Science in the Industrializing Nations 1500-1914

by Eric Dorn Brose

Here is a tightly written, concise survey of the history of technology and science over four centuries. In constructing this engaging account, Professor Brose weaves a fabric from three histories which, until now, have been thought of as mutually exclusive. The history of technology, the history of science, and the history of economic development leading to the Industrial Revolution have been developed to a large degree separately. Few historians have attempted a synthesis such as this which demonstrates the relationship between them and general political developments in a way which produces a rounded account, with each strand playing its part in supporting and interacting with the others. The narrative starts with the opening of the modern historical epoch around 1500 and ends with the outbreak of World War I in 1914 and covers events in both Europe and the United States. Brose constructs his account from the standpoint of technological systems--the idea that each epoch evolves a system to meet the material demands of society--and the rise and fall of each system within the period. This is a fine introductory overview of the interrelationship between science and technology and society in the early modern and modern periods and the impact of each upon the other.

114 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Mariel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The novelty of the book is the idea that there needed to be a culture of education in order to support the Industrial Revolution. Innovation required a culture that would accept innovators and solution-oriented people who would solve technological problems without being afraid of being burned at the stake. That culture was fostered in England, and thus the Industrial Revolution grew in England.

Brose, like Hohenberg and Lees, is examining and extremely wide time period in relatively few pages. What I found most useful about the book was the orientation it provided me with in understanding the way industry grew in Europe. I think it would be especially useful for teachers working with the Industrial Revolution not only because it has pictures, but also for its readability (at least for teachers, not sure about how students would receive it). Brose aims to integrate fields with his work, and I'm not sure how successful it is, but it is a point well taken.

The discussion of proto-industrialization is relatively new (Brose didn't invent it, but it is part of a larger trend in seeing a longer, more gradual industrial evolution rather than a spontaneous revolution). It shows a co-mingling of early factories and home production which support the "evolution" rather then "revolution" position.

There are other major points of the book, such as the comparison between England's technological growth and the delay of industrialization in the rest of Europe, but the major point is the need for a supportive intellectual culture for innovation. The rest is a summary- a good summary that is extremely useful, but a summary nonetheless.