"For two decades, the consensus explanation of the British Industrial Revolution has placed technological change and the supply side at center stage, affording little or no role for demand or overseas trade. Recently, alternative explanations have placed an emphasis on the importance of trade...

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