Inventors and Inventions: Patents, Protest and Power in the Industrial Revolution 1750-1890

Synopsis

Audio recording of a lecture by Maxine Berg, Professor of History, Eighteenth Century Centre, University of Warwick which formed part of the ‘Inventors and Inventions: Patents, Protest and Power in the the Industrial Revolution 1970-1890’ exhibition at the National Archives, 2005. At the same time as mechanisation enabled a greater volume of goods to be produced, there was a simultaneous trend during the Industrial Revolution to produce non-standardised, more specialised designs which followed the dictates of fashion and created novelties for the growing middle and working class.
This lecture explores the inventions, making and buying of goods during the eighteenth century in Britain. It explores the role of the consumer which economic historians have tended to ignore and provides a re-assessment of the early industrial revolution by arguing that it should be treated more as a ‘product revolution’.

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Year of release

2005

Year of production

2005

Notes

Streamed online or available for download as a podcast

Subjects

History; Technology

Keywords

consumer products; Industrial Revolution; economic history

Online availability

URI

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/events/calendar/inventions.htm

Price

free

Delivery

Streamed/Download

Credits

Contributor

Maxine Berg

Distributor

Name

National Archives

Web

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk External site opens in new window