The computer-and-communications technology revolution we have been living through transforms twice as large a share of the economy as did the British Industrial Revolution, looks to last three times as long, and proceeds at a pace three times faster than the revolution in spinning and weaving: it is, relative to the size of the economy, eighteen times a bigger deal than the original.But, when I look around the world, the real revolution and divide seems to be the fall in infant mortality in modern societies. Is there a name for that? It’s certainly distinct from the industrial revolution. It has more to do with food. and sewerage.
-
Archives
- October 2019
- September 2019
- November 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- January 2018
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- July 2017
- December 2016
- October 2016
- May 2016
- March 2015
- April 2011
- March 2011
- April 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- July 2006
- June 2006
- May 2006
- April 2006
- March 2006
- February 2006
- January 2006
- December 2005
- November 2005
- October 2005
- September 2005
- August 2005
- July 2005
- June 2005
- May 2005
- April 2005
- March 2005
- February 2005
- January 2005
- December 2004
- November 2004
- October 2004
- September 2004
- August 2004
- July 2004
- June 2004
- May 2004
- April 2004
- March 2004
- February 2004
- January 2004
- December 2003
- November 2003
- October 2003
- September 2003
- August 2003
- July 2003
- June 2003
- May 2003
- April 2003
- March 2003
- February 2003
- January 2003
- December 2002
- November 2002
- October 2002
- September 2002
- August 2002
- July 2002
- June 2002
-
Meta
That’s a good question, and fishing around in the grab bag of my semi-comprehensions concerning the industrial revolution and social change I can come up with three or four plausible lines of enquiry.
But hanging out with a proper historian has made me chary of expressing any opinion without doing the research (she’ll ruin me as a columnist). So it’s onto the Web… and here’s just the thing.
The Decline of Infant Mortality in Europe, 1800-1950: Four National Case Studies, of which the rubric sayeth: Of the many changes that have taken place in Western society during the past two centuries, few have been more significant than the steep fall in infant and child mortality. However, the timing and causes of the decline are still poorly understood. While some scholars attribute it to general improvements in living standards, others emphasize the role of social intervention and public health reforms. Written by specialists from several disciplinary field, these case studies provide a long-term perspective that challenges some deep-rooted ideas about the European experience of mortality decline and may help explain the forces and causal relationships behind the still tragic incidence of preventable infant and child deaths in many parts of the world today
Just the thing. And the paper’s free. Only it’s not online free, it’s sitting in a warehouse free and Unicef needs $2.50 to liberate it via the postal service. Which I would happily do, only there’s the whole online shopping trolley nonsense to get through and it really is just an impulse question and…
The New Industrial Revolution’s got a way to go, I think.
R
blast… always preview, always preview…
sorry!
R