Description
Join historian Edmond Smith for a compelling exploration of how West Yorkshire’s ingenuity helped shape Britain’s rise to global prominence.
Drawing on his acclaimed book Ruthless, Smith examines how the pursuit of profit and expansion transformed economic life between 1660 and 1800, from the mills and mines of Yorkshire to far-reaching global trade networks.
Using often-overlooked archives from Bradford, Leeds and Halifax, this talk reveals the region’s central role in Britain’s economic transformation. Challenging traditional narratives of the Industrial Revolution, Smith argues that technology alone did not drive change.
Instead, it was people, power and interconnected networks that fuelled Britain’s growth and influence.
Insightful and thought-provoking, this event offers a fresh perspective on Yorkshire’s place in global history, showing how local innovation and ambition helped reshape the world and leaving audiences with a deeper understanding of the forces behind Britain’s rise.
Related Book
Ruthless: A New History of Britain’s Rise to Wealth and Power, 1660-1800
Edmond Smith
Shop on WaterstonesAbout the Author
Edmond Smith
Edmond Smith is a Presidential Fellow in Economic Cultures at the University of Manchester. Formerly a capital markets research manager, Smith now specializes in the histories of capitalism and globalization, having completed his PhD at Cambridge in 2016.
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