Title Power to the people : energy in Europe over the last five centuries / Astrid Kander, Paolo Malanima, Paul Warde

Published Princeton : Princeton University Press, [2013] ©2013

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Description 1 online resource (x, 457 pages) : illustrations, maps Series The Princeton economic history of the Western world Princeton economic history of the Western world Contents Pre-industrial economies / Paolo Malanima. Traditional sources -- Constraints and dynamics -- The first industrial revolution / Paul Warde. A modern energy regime -- The coal development block -- Energy and industrial growth -- The second and third industrial revolutions / Astrid Kander. Energy transitions in the twentieth century -- Major development blocks in the twentieth century and their impacts on energy -- The role of energy in twentieth-century economic growth -- Summary and implications for the future Summary "Power to the People examines the varied but interconnected relationships between energy consumption and economic development in Europe over the last five centuries. It describes how the traditional energy economy of medieval and early modern Europe was marked by stable or falling per capita energy consumption, and how the First Industrial Revolution in the eighteenth century--fueled by coal and steam engines--redrew the economic, social, and geopolitical map of Europe and the world. The Second Industrial Revolution continued this energy expansion and social transformation through the use of oil and electricity, but after 1970 Europe entered a new stage in which energy consumption has stabilized. This book challenges the view that the outsourcing of heavy industry overseas is the cause, arguing that a Third Industrial Revolution driven by new information and communication technologies has played a major stabilizing role. Power to the People offers new perspectives on the challenges posed today by climate change and peak oil, demonstrating that although the path of modern economic development has vastly increased our energy use, it has not been a story of ever-rising and continuous consumption. The book sheds light on the often lengthy and complex changes needed for new energy systems to emerge, the role of energy resources in economic growth, and the importance of energy efficiency in promoting growth and reducing future energy demand."--Publisher's website Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 415-450) and index Notes English Print version record Subject Energy industries -- Europe -- History BUSINESS & ECONOMICS -- Real Estate -- General. BUSINESS & ECONOMICS -- Development -- Sustainable Development. Energy industries Energikällor -- historia. Energiindustri -- historia. Energiförbrukning -- historia. Europe Genre/Form Electronic books History Form Electronic book Author Malanima, Paolo, author Warde, Paul, author ISBN 9781400848881 1400848881 9781306160223 1306160227 0691168229 9780691168227

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