Revenge of the Forgotten Class

[David Horn]

(08-17-2017, 06:26 AM)Bob Butler 54 Wrote:

(08-17-2017, 05:31 AM)Eric the Green Wrote: I prefer a more realistic marker for the industrial age; i.e. when it actually began, the 1780s. The previous part of the Renaissance/Reformation Age featured trends "popping up" and influencing the rise of the industrial period that would come of age in the future. What historians call the "early-modern period" (from the Renaissance to the Revolution) was still an agricultural/aristocratic age-- most of that portion of it that was dominated by royal dynasties.

Yes.  Different historians with different perspectives use different labels for different eras.  Things did start popping before the Industrial Revolution proper hit its full stride.  I've been most influenced by Diamond's Guns Gems and Steel and Toffler's The Third Wave, but those are hardly the only books covering the subject matter or time period.

I agree.  Personally, and based on nothing more than personal preference, I mark the beginning of the IR a bit later than most: when it's impact started in earnest.  Of course, that's also arguable, so I'll pick 1820 to 1830, depending on the topic of interest.  Certainly, a true impact had already occurred by 1830, so anything later just seems wrong.