Creating Capitalism: Joint-Stock Enterprise in British Politics and Culture, 1800-1870
The growth of joint-stock business in Victorian Britain re-evaluated, showing in particular the resistance to it.

Winner of the Economic History Society's Best First Monograph award 2009

The emergence of the joint-stock company in nineteenth-century Britain was a culture shock for many Victorians. Though the home of the industrialrevolution, the nation's economy was dominated by the private partnership, seen as the most efficient as well as the most ethical form of business organisation. The large, impersonal company and the rampant speculation it was thought to encourage were viewed with suspicion and downright hostility.
This book argues that the existing historiography understates society's resistance to joint-stock enterprise; it employs an eclectic range of sources, fromnewspapers and parliamentary papers to cartoons, novels and plays, to unearth this forgotten economic debate. It explores how the legal system was gradually restructured to facilitate joint-stock enterprise, a process culminatingin the limited liability legislation of the mid-1850s. This has typically been interpreted as evidence for the emergence of new, positive attitudes to speculation and economic growth, but the book demonstrates how traditional outlooks continued to influence legislation, and the way in which economic reforms were driven by political agendas. It shows how debates on the economic culture of nineteenth-century Britain are strikingly relevant to current questions over the ethics of multinational corporations.

James Taylor is Senior Lecturer in British History at Lancaster University.
1110926514
Creating Capitalism: Joint-Stock Enterprise in British Politics and Culture, 1800-1870
The growth of joint-stock business in Victorian Britain re-evaluated, showing in particular the resistance to it.

Winner of the Economic History Society's Best First Monograph award 2009

The emergence of the joint-stock company in nineteenth-century Britain was a culture shock for many Victorians. Though the home of the industrialrevolution, the nation's economy was dominated by the private partnership, seen as the most efficient as well as the most ethical form of business organisation. The large, impersonal company and the rampant speculation it was thought to encourage were viewed with suspicion and downright hostility.
This book argues that the existing historiography understates society's resistance to joint-stock enterprise; it employs an eclectic range of sources, fromnewspapers and parliamentary papers to cartoons, novels and plays, to unearth this forgotten economic debate. It explores how the legal system was gradually restructured to facilitate joint-stock enterprise, a process culminatingin the limited liability legislation of the mid-1850s. This has typically been interpreted as evidence for the emergence of new, positive attitudes to speculation and economic growth, but the book demonstrates how traditional outlooks continued to influence legislation, and the way in which economic reforms were driven by political agendas. It shows how debates on the economic culture of nineteenth-century Britain are strikingly relevant to current questions over the ethics of multinational corporations.

James Taylor is Senior Lecturer in British History at Lancaster University.
37.95 In Stock
Creating Capitalism: Joint-Stock Enterprise in British Politics and Culture, 1800-1870

Creating Capitalism: Joint-Stock Enterprise in British Politics and Culture, 1800-1870

by James Taylor
Creating Capitalism: Joint-Stock Enterprise in British Politics and Culture, 1800-1870

Creating Capitalism: Joint-Stock Enterprise in British Politics and Culture, 1800-1870

by James Taylor

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Overview

The growth of joint-stock business in Victorian Britain re-evaluated, showing in particular the resistance to it.

Winner of the Economic History Society's Best First Monograph award 2009

The emergence of the joint-stock company in nineteenth-century Britain was a culture shock for many Victorians. Though the home of the industrialrevolution, the nation's economy was dominated by the private partnership, seen as the most efficient as well as the most ethical form of business organisation. The large, impersonal company and the rampant speculation it was thought to encourage were viewed with suspicion and downright hostility.
This book argues that the existing historiography understates society's resistance to joint-stock enterprise; it employs an eclectic range of sources, fromnewspapers and parliamentary papers to cartoons, novels and plays, to unearth this forgotten economic debate. It explores how the legal system was gradually restructured to facilitate joint-stock enterprise, a process culminatingin the limited liability legislation of the mid-1850s. This has typically been interpreted as evidence for the emergence of new, positive attitudes to speculation and economic growth, but the book demonstrates how traditional outlooks continued to influence legislation, and the way in which economic reforms were driven by political agendas. It shows how debates on the economic culture of nineteenth-century Britain are strikingly relevant to current questions over the ethics of multinational corporations.

James Taylor is Senior Lecturer in British History at Lancaster University.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780861933235
Publisher: BOYDELL & BREWER INC
Publication date: 05/15/2014
Series: Royal Historical Society Studies in History New Series , #53
Pages: 272
Product dimensions: 6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

James Taylor is now retired from professional cricket and now works in the media. He is a regular pundit for Sky's coverage of the England cricket team, works on the BBC's Test Match Special show and has a column in the Evening Standard. He also works with a number of leading heart charities to raise awareness of heart defects and spends time helping individuals and families who suffer from heart problems.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Companies, character and competition
The sins of speculation
Change contained, 1800-1840
Reform or retrogression? Free incorporation, 1840-1862
Limited liability on trial: the commercial crisis of 1866
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