The changes in society and culture that emerged from the Renaissance and the Scientific Revolution in Europe affected both European relations with the rest of the world and the organization of work and production in Europe itself. Technology lay at the heart of these changes -- sometimes in obvious ways, but sometimes in more subtle fashion. You should try to pay attention this week to the sometimes complex connections between technology and these social, political, and cultural changes.
The centuries after 1400 saw increasing interactions among the peoples of the world -- an early form of the "globalization" that characterizes the 21st century. One of the key scholars interpreting the significance of this, especially in terms of technology, is Daniel Headrick. Read the chapter in his general overview of technological history that deals with this topic -- "An Age of Global Interactions." You can access this in the "Course Reserves" on the HIST206 ELMS page.
A nice overview of the Industrial Revolution is this essay from the "HistoryDoctor" site -- it's a place to begin, although a bit superficial.
A key area of early industrialization -- one that set the pattern for many later industries -- was textile manufacture.
On textile machinery and the factory system, you can check out:
You are urged to find additional useful websites for this topic. Be certain that you can defend the authority of the sites you choose to study (Wikipedia and its ilk do not qualify--although this is often a reasonable place to begin searching for more specialized sites).
For your portfolio you have two assignments: (1) Write one or two paragraphs in which you discuss the key claims that Headrick makes for the role of technology in the expansion of Europe in the centuries before the Industrial Revolution; (2) Bring in a couple of pages from your web explorations of key innovations in the textile industry in the first decades of industrialization and add a commentary explaining the significance of the particular textile innovation you have focused on.
