Wealth and Welfare: An Economic and Social History of Britain 1851-1951 (An ^AEconomic and Social History of Britain)

This collection of essays explores the questions of what counted as knowledge in Victorian Britain, who defined knowledge and the knowledgeable, by what means and by what criteria. During the Victorian period, the structure of knowledge took on a new and recognizably modern form, and the disciplines that we now take for granted took shape. The ways in which knowledge was tested also took on a new form, with oral examinations and personal contacts giving way to formal written tests. New institutions of knowledge were created: museums were important at the start of the period (knowledge often meant classifying and collecting); by the end, universities had taken on a new promince. Knowledge expanded and Victorians needed to make sense of the sheer scale of information, to popularize it, and at the same time to exclude ignorance and error - a role carried out by encyclopedias and popular publications. The concept of knowledge is complex and much debated, with a multiplicity of meanings and troubling relationships. By studying the Victorian organization of knowledge in its institutional settings, these essays contribute to our consideration of these wider issues. Martin Daunton provides a clear and balanced view of the continuities and changes that occurred in the economic history of Britain from the Great Exhibition of 1851 to the Festival of Britain in 1951. In 1851, Britain was the dominant economic power in an increasingly global economy. The First World War marked a turning point, as globalisation went into reverse and Britain shifted to'insular capitalism'. Rather than emphasizing the decline of the British economy, this book stresses modernity and the growth of new patterns of consumption in areas such as the service sector and the leisure industry. Martin Daunton provides a clear and balanced view of the continuities and changes that occurred in the economic history of Britain from the Great Exhibition of 1851 to the Festival of Britain in 1951. In 1851, Britain was the dominant economic power in an increasingly global economy. The First World War marked a turning point, as globalization went into reverse and Britain shifted to 'insular capitalism'. Rather than emphasising the decline of the British economy, this book stresses modernity and the growth of new patterns of consumption in areas such as the service sector and the leisure indu "Wealth and Welfare analyses British economic and social history from the Great Exhibition of 1851 through to the Festival of Britain in 1951. Throughout, Daunton stresses that the story of Britain's economy in this period should not be seen simply as one of decline, but of redirection from international to domestic markets. As he makes clear, by the end of the period, Britain's economy was both modern and efficient, with the Festival of Britain in 1951 expressing the vision of a forward-looking, confident, social-democratic nation."--Jacket The nation's wealth and the people's welfare Agriculture and the land Industry and the urban economy The service economy The growth of the British economy Free trade and protectionism Capital exports The rise and demise of the gold standard Rebuilding the international economic order? Births and marriages Deaths and disease Rich and poor Cultures of consumption Taxing and spending Education From the poor law to the welfare state Managing the economy The festival of Britain and British identity. Provides a balanced view of the continuities and changes that occurred in the economic history of Britain from the Great Exhibition of 1851 to the Festival of Britain in 1951. Rather than emphasising the decline of the British economy, this book stresses modernity and the growth of patterns of consumption in certain areas.