This book provides the first available introductory, comparative account of the rise of giant business corporations in America and Europe in the century before the Second World War. It discusses the evolution of firms such as Ford, Exxon, Unilever and Siemens, as well as introducing the reader to the major explanations that have been advanced by historians and economists in order to account for these developments in the global economic order.

This book presents a concise survey of the Spanish economy from the end of the Civil War of 1936-39 to the present. In it the author analyzes the transformation of Spain from a backward agrarian economy--committed by Franco and the country's military rulers to the impossible quest of self-sufficiency--to a modern, rapidly growing, outwardly oriented economy. Spain is now fully integrated into the international economy and, since January 1986, has been an active member of the European Community.

Most books about Britain's transport history have concentrated on canals and railways. It is now clear that a great deal of traffic went by road even before turnpikes, and that goods as well as passenger services were much more highly developed than previously thought. Development of road transport continued during the Canal and Railway Ages and expanded with the advent of more efficient but more environmentally damaging motor vehicles. This book will be an essential book not only for transport specialists but also for genealogists, geographers, motor engineers, and those interested in...

This book provides a clear interpretation of the causes of demographic change in Britain in the nineteenth century. It combines an examination of migration, marriage patterns, fertility and mortality with a guide to the sources of population data available to historians and demographers. Illustrated with tables and figures, it is the only available summary of this field for students, and includes a detailed bibliography for those wishing to pursue the subject further.

Alastair Reid provides a clear guide to debates about the analysis of British social classes and social relations in the second half of the nineteenth century. He distinguishes among the wealth-holding, political power, and cultural influence of the ruling class; he summarizes the recent literature on changes in skills and incomes of different groups within the working classes; and he divides the debate on social relations into distinct emphases on coercion, control and consent.

Over the past twenty years population history has become a thriving field of research. In this concise volume, Dr. Houston reviews all the recent literature and explains the different population trends evident in parts of Britain and Ireland. He sets out the sometimes complex interactions among fertility, nuptiality, morality and migration in a clear and comprehensible way, and examines a wide range of topics such as plague and smallpox, childbirth, illegitimacy, migration within Britain and emigration to America.

Understanding French economic development in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries has always proved a formidable challenge for historians. This concise survey is designed to make clear the areas of controversy among historians, and to guide the reader through the debates. The author provides succinct surveys of recent findings on the pattern of development, and on the underlying causes of that pattern. He argues that France provides a quietly successful case of economic development, avoiding the massive social upheaval experienced elsewhere in Europe.

In recent years, the history of universities has become a thriving field of research, but no convenient summary has been available. This book offers a clear and concise introduction to the subject. It surveys the debate on the significance of British university development, and relates it to general questions about British social history. It asks how far the nature of British elites has changed since Victorian times, what contribution universities have made to social mobility, and whether higher education, despite its recent expansion, has really become more democratic.

This book examines the consequences of periods of dearth in England in the years between 1550 and 1800. For this period serious harvest failure has been connected with a marked increase in the political activity of the ordinary people, and attention has been focused on food riots. In this concise survey for students, R.B. Outhwaite surveys the enormous volume of literature that has been generated on the subject, explores interconnections, and draws attention to problems still outstanding, paying particular attention to changes in government policy toward grain provisioning.

What was the state of English towns between 1400 and 1640? It was once accepted that they were generally in decline or suffering serious problems of poverty and economic crisis. This generalization has been strongly challenged, and this book guides the reader through the controversy, summarizes the opposing cases, and attempts a reasoned compromise involving new information from the author's own research. An extensive bibliography with notes helps the reader to come to his or her own conclusions. This is a book for both students beginning the study of the subject and for their teachers.