The industrious revolution Flashcards
(15 cards)
What is the “Consumer Revolution” according to McKendrick (1982)?
A rise in consumption of manufactured goods, driven by status and competition, especially among women.
What is the “Industrious Revolution” according to De Vries (1994)?
A pre-Industrial Revolution shift where households increased both labour supply and demand for market goods.
What drove the Industrious Revolution?
Expanding trade, new consumption choices, and a shift from home to market production.
How did households respond to new consumption opportunities?
By increasing market labour and reducing leisure time.
What is the “interactive view” of households (De Vries)?
Households are adaptive units with internal contracts and alliances that respond to market incentives.
What does Becker’s (1965) “Allocation of Time” model suggest?
Households balance time between home production, market work, and leisure to maximize consumption.
What historical evidence supports increased working hours?
Reduction in religious holidays, Dutch payroll records, and logit regressions showing Monday workdays by 1800.
What did Freudenberger and Cummins estimate about labour hours?
Annual labour input rose from <3000 to >4000 hours between 1750 and 1800.
What did De Vries find in probate inventories?
A rise in the quantity and diversity of goods owned, even among lower-income households.
What does this imply about the Industrious Revolution?
Increased labour was linked to rising consumer demand and material accumulation.
What do Allen & Weisdorf (2011) argue?
Increased hours were due to poverty, not consumerism; no evidence of a consumer revolution.
What is Clark & Van Der Werf’s (1998) position?
No significant increase in hours; women were already in the labour force since the 14C.
What does Muldrew (2011) argue?
Labour supply increased out of necessity, not desire for goods; consumerism followed later.
What does Horell (1996) say about household budgets?
Most income was spent on necessities; few manufactured goods were bought by labourers.
What do Old Bailey records suggest?
Little change in the types of goods stolen, contradicting probate inventory findings.
