From Spinning Wheels to Steam and Steel

March 1, 2015

The age of industrialization as a topic of study is large and daunting but is here made accessible by the talented storytelling of Popiel (history, St. Louis Univ.; Rousseau's Daughters). Popiel uses common, everyday items such as bicycles, city streets, and baseballs as teaching tools. The result is eight fascinating lectures examining the social, cultural, and political impact of industrialization on countries including the United States, Britain, France, and Germany. Our modern political economy is very much the child of these changes; the terms middle class, productivity, investment in technology, and immigration all became part of everyday discourse in the Industrial Age. One of the key historical lessons gained from examining the industrial revolution is that changes to one segment of society will have repercussions on others. Change begets change. Popiel is an engaging speaker, and her love of the topic shines through these lectures. VERDICT Recommended for history buffs and anyone who enjoys being surprised by the richness of the seemingly mundane.--Denis Frias, Mississauga Lib. Syst., Ont.

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