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Summary
In this final Volume of the History of Technology in the Netherlands the focus is on the perception of technology and progress by 19th Century eyewitnesses and modern historians. As Chapter 1, The Spirit of Crystal Palace, argues, the popular notion of technological competition and leadership was strongly influenced by the series of Great Exhibitions that began in 1851. The relatively poor performance by the Netherlands at Crystal Palace was seen by some contemporaries as the ultimate proof of the nation's decline since the 17th Century. Until the 1960s, many economic historians have repeated this verdict, which they thought to be confirmed by the relatively slow growth of modern, steam powered industry. This exclusive interest in large scale and spectacular innovations among (economic) historians has much in common with the attitude of the visitors at the Great Exhibitions: they marvel at the glittering and most impressive objects without understanding the functioning of technology.
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Chapter 2, The loss of Technological Paradise,
describes how in the 18th Century the Netherlands met with increasing foreign competition. Commercial, institutional, and technological problems made it difficult to revitalize industry. Whereas in some other countries a dynamic interaction between industrial and technological development occurred, Dutch entrepreneurs continued to bring their existing methods of production to the highest degree of perfection, in order to avoid radical innovations. This practice, sound though it may have been in the eyes of contemporary entrepreneurs, led to later discussions on technological conservatism and the shameful loss of technological leadership.
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Chapter 3, A Country without Steam,
discusses the use and abuse of statistical data on steam engines in order to understand a nation's technological potential. The Netherlands in the first half of the 19th Century is compared with Belgium, and a close examination of data shows that differences were not as dramatic as was commonly accepted. In order to make proper comparisons, one should distinguish among branches of industry, products and markets, instead of taking high aggregates that do not reveal relevant information on technology itself.
Chapters 4, 5, and 6 concentrate on three major actors in the process of socio-technological development.
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Chapter 4, Controlled Innovation,
shows the entrepreneurs' conceptual problems with innovation. Existing methods of production were often described in terms that differed greatly from the ‘language’ in which modern technologies were praised. In order to be used successfully, large scale innovations required a reorganisation of tasks, responsibilities, and bookkeeping. Reliable ways to evaluate the technical and financial effects of an innovation had to be developed. When these methods were not available, entrepreneurs preferred to proceed cautiously.
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Chapter 5, Government and Technology,
shows how industry and technology were perceived by Dutch policy makers. King Willem i (1813-1840) considered it his personal duty to make his Kingdom an industrial nation, but his policy was frustrated by the Belgian Secession of 1830. The influence of the Head of State on political matters was greatly reduced by the Constitution of 1848. Now Parliament had to decide on large scale and expensive projects, like railways, canalization of the rivers, etc. In spite of their liberal principles, successive Governments found themselves increasingly in favour of
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state intervention to control the negative side effects of technology and modern industry. At the same time, Parliament held strong suspicions against civil engineers obtaining political influence. It was feared that any engineer in charge of the Ministry for Public Works would use his expert knowledge to sidetrack the non-technical members of Parliament and claim a disproportionate part of the Budget for state engineering purposes.
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Chapter 6, Discussing Technology,
describes the discussions among the intellectual elite on the dangers and blessings of technological progress. The debate mostly concentrated on ways to avoid the negative aspects of modern industry that could be observed abroad. Technological development itself was considered a natural phenomenon that should not be opposed. The development of small scale prime movers, like gas engines and electrical machinery, was contributed to a renewed interest in craftsmanship as a mode of production, with references to the medieval relation between man and his labour.
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Chapter 7, A Country with Steam,
is related to Chapter 3 and outlines and explains the use of steampower in Dutch industry after 1850.
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Chapter 8, Innovation in the Netherlands,
elaborates on the question of patterns of innovation during the 19th Century. Based on the contents of the five earlier Volumes in this series, a taxonomy of explanations is presented. Two major elements in the development of industrial technology are the absence of large home markets for technology, and a continued tradition of commercial entrepreneurship. It is made clear that with the aid of detailed information on technological characteristics of a large variety of sectors, one may also come to appreciate the interaction between technology and society in a less than superficial fashion.
Chapters 9 and 10 are more or less apart from the historical analyses in the preceding chapters.
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Chapter 9, Industrial Archaeology,
gives a survey of the existing organizations in this field. It also describes how, over the years, industrial archaeology has reached professional status.
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Chapter 10, History of Technology in the Netherlands,
puts the relatively short history of this discipline in an international context and reviews the results that have been achieved so far.
Throughout this volume a number of short biographies are to be found of individuals who in one way or another have played an outstanding role in the socio-technical development of the 19th Century. Various entrepreneurs, policy makers, engineers and workers are pictured in their social and intellectual setting. |
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