Dear Alison,
You are right with the beginning date (who cares about plus or minus 40 years, especially when we're dealing with all of Europe). However, you have to admit there is a significant change with the Industrial revolution from the late 17th century on. Did you hear the Reith Lecture speaker last night (Radio 4) who said that population growth was the direct result of industrialisation appropriating the productivity of the household unit ? Best thing I've heard since Ester Boserup. But why choose 1800 as the cut off date for your early modern ? Seems to me that there are significant factors relating to material production, populations, and cultural change that suggest a cutoff date either earlier or later than 1800.
Cheers, Neil
>>> [log in to unmask] 11/05/2000 12:19:49 >>>
As a historian, I always thought that Early Modern was from 1500, (or
sometimes 1550), to 1800, and Modern was 1800 to date. I understand that
for material culture these terms might be a bit large, and smaller more
relevant categories may be needed.
Alison Roddham
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