Capitalism and the historians (The University of Chicago Press)

The views generally held about the rise of the factory system in Britain derive from highly distorted accounts of the social consequences of that system, so say the economic historians whose papers make up this volume. The authors offer documentary evidence to support their conclusion that under capitalism the workers, despite long hours and other hardships of factory life, were better off financially, had more opportunities, and led a better life than had been the case before the Industrial Revolution.