"In the 1970s, the economic and social foundations of Western Europe underwent an unprecedented transformation. Old industries like coal and steel disappeared, millions of people lost their jobs and formerly flourishing towns and cities went into decline. Traditional political agendas gave way...

In den siebziger Jahren des 20. Jahrhunderts wurden viele Staaten Westeuropas von einem beispiellosen Strukturwandel erfasst: Die Fabriken der alten Industrien verschwanden, Millionen von Arbeitsplätzen gingen verloren, vormals boomende Städte gerieten in die Krise und neue soziale Fragen...

The great strike -- The world of textile work : continuity and change -- Millworkers, socialism, and the labor movement -- A culture of textile production -- Workers as consumers -- Feminization and industrial expansion -- Expanding the consumer market -- The depression decade and the popular front

1. Work and Labour: Meanings and Concepts -- 2. Population, Urbanization and Working People -- 3. Technology, Markets, Specializations and Organization of Production -- 4. Labour Relations -- 5. Labour Conditions -- 5. Work and the Little Divergence