A Distinctive Industrialization Cotton in Barcelona 17281832 [Paperback]

This book, first published in 1992, is a study of the development of Barcelona's cotton industry, bridging the 'pre-industrial' and early 'industrial' periods.This book, first published in 1992, is a study of the development of Barcelona's cotton industry, from its origins in calico-printing in 1728 to its introduction of steampower in 1832, which provides the one Mediterranean exception to the tendency of early industrialization to be concentrated in northern Europe.This book, first published in 1992, is a study of the development of Barcelona's cotton industry, from its origins in calico-printing in 1728 to its introduction of steampower in 1832, which provides the one Mediterranean exception to the tendency of early industrialization to be concentrated in northern Europe.This is a study of the development of the early history of Barcelona's cotton industry. It offers both a specialized industrial history and an interpretation of major issues relating to the industrialization of Catalonia and of Europe as a whole. The major issues discussed--the causes of the increase during these years in industrial investment and the links between proto-industrialization and industrialization proper--have been discussed theoretically but rarely tested against historical experience. The book thus represents an important contribution to the interpretation of early industrialization and offers a new insight into Spanish and Catalonian history.List of maps; List of tables; Acknowledgements; Abbreviations, languages, measures and monetary exchanges; 1. Introduction; 2. Catalan industry in the 'long term'; 3. The establishment of calico-printing in Barcelona; 4. Why did merchant capital move into the industry in the 1740s?; 5. The development of the industry in the 1750s and 1760s: adaptation to the requirements of 'merchant capital'; 6. The industry at its height, 176886, with investment in it as common as in drapers' shops; 7. Spinning; 8. The crisis of the f?brica: the industl‰