The Liberal Tories and the Growth of Manufactures

Britain in the first half of the nineteenth century has long been seen as living under the great shadow of "industrialization", an age of cotton mills and steam power, when pride in the nation's economic progress mingled with deep concerns about its social consequences. But how did people think at the time about these events? In particular, what were the views on manufactures of politicians at the heart of government?

This pamphlet seeks an answer by looking at the "Liberal Tories" Liverpool, Huskisson and Peel, politicians who played a crucial role in shaping the state's economic policies. Looking at their views on the Corn Laws, freer trade, the currency system, technological advance, and factory reform, a picture emerges of a sophisticated understanding of the growth of the manufacturing sector.

First appearing in 2001, this study paved the way for the books The Origins of the Idea of the Industrial Revolution (2006) and Forgotten Voices of the Industrial Age (2014). It is now reissued in a second edition.