Is The Difference In Chapter Four And Five Of Veeblen's Imperial Germany
QUESTION
TOPIC 3
What according to chapters four and five of Veblen’s Imperial Germany and The Industrial Revolution and the key differences between England and Germany. What is his explanation of those differences?
A Suggestion for Background Reading,
Arthur K. Davis, 1944 ‘Veblen’s Study of Modern Germany’ American Sociological Review , Vol. 9, No. 6, pp 603-609
ANSWER
1 INTRODUCTION
In 1915, Thorstein Veblen, a German economist, published the book Imperial Germany and the Industrial Revolution. A key aspect of the book’s discussion is a comparison between Imperial Germany and England at the time of writing. Veblen identifies a number of differences between the two countries, and attempts to provide a detailed explanation for those …show more content…
England was able to shift from a handicraft system to an industrial system dominated by the mechanistic conception. The general habits of the English, similar to the process that occurred when the handicraft system was adopted, were able to change in response to the new industrial system over a number of generations. This was a major reason in the formation of the differences observed by Veblen. The initial integration of the mechanistic industrial system by England through a replacement of the existing handicraft system was helped along by a number of factors. Firstly, the attitude of the English was moving away from that of a dynastic state, and towards that of a constitutional state. Secondly, the handicraft system in England, being borrowed and implemented relatively late, was not fully implemented into habitual life. The rigours of the handicraft system, such as the guild system, never reached the same level of elaboration in England as they did on the continent. Thus, the political and industrial organisation in England was looser and offered a more ready field of change. Furthermore, due to the isolated position of England, the features of the dynastic system were not as well founded as they were on the continent. This all combined to enable the development of a new technological system to replace the handicraft system in England, that of the mechanical
TOPIC 3
What according to chapters four and five of Veblen’s Imperial Germany and The Industrial Revolution and the key differences between England and Germany. What is his explanation of those differences?
A Suggestion for Background Reading,
Arthur K. Davis, 1944 ‘Veblen’s Study of Modern Germany’ American Sociological Review , Vol. 9, No. 6, pp 603-609
ANSWER
1 INTRODUCTION
In 1915, Thorstein Veblen, a German economist, published the book Imperial Germany and the Industrial Revolution. A key aspect of the book’s discussion is a comparison between Imperial Germany and England at the time of writing. Veblen identifies a number of differences between the two countries, and attempts to provide a detailed explanation for those …show more content…
England was able to shift from a handicraft system to an industrial system dominated by the mechanistic conception. The general habits of the English, similar to the process that occurred when the handicraft system was adopted, were able to change in response to the new industrial system over a number of generations. This was a major reason in the formation of the differences observed by Veblen. The initial integration of the mechanistic industrial system by England through a replacement of the existing handicraft system was helped along by a number of factors. Firstly, the attitude of the English was moving away from that of a dynastic state, and towards that of a constitutional state. Secondly, the handicraft system in England, being borrowed and implemented relatively late, was not fully implemented into habitual life. The rigours of the handicraft system, such as the guild system, never reached the same level of elaboration in England as they did on the continent. Thus, the political and industrial organisation in England was looser and offered a more ready field of change. Furthermore, due to the isolated position of England, the features of the dynastic system were not as well founded as they were on the continent. This all combined to enable the development of a new technological system to replace the handicraft system in England, that of the mechanical