W. Fred Rump schrieb:
On 22 Jun 99, at 20:25, LTBoehmke@aol.com wrote about Re: Weavers:
> Your letter about weavers reminded me that I had once read somewhere that
> when slavery in the US allowed cotton to become cheap on the world market,
> it put the linen weavers in Europe out of work. I'm sorry I don't have a
> reference for this information.
>
> LaVerne
>I wouldn't put much credence behind that. The industrial revolution
put linen weavers out of work as they now could no longer compete
with machines.Fred
The story is rather complicated.
First, cotton as a raw material became much cheaper than linen.
Then, the fabric woven from cotton made possible more handsome and
wearable
clothes. Thus, a change in material and endproduct became inevitable for
the
textile industry.
Third, during the Napoleonic wars against England export markets for the
textile
industry broke down.
Fourth, the rebuilding of the textile industry during the first half of
the 19th c. was slowed down by the war, a lack of capital, and the
unwillingnes on the side of the weavers to adapt to the employment of
machines and to new ways of organising work - from home work to factory
work. The weavers' lot was very hard. Extremely low wages, unemployment,
childrens' labor, hunger led to local riots.
G�nter Hellbardt