Ronald Max Hartwell (1921–2009) was an Australian-born

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

economic historian of the British

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

. Hartwell's first academic appointment was at University of New outh Wales (1950–56), where he held the chair of

economic history Economic history is the academic learning of economies or economic events of the past. Research is conducted using a combination of historical methods, statistical methods and the application of economic theory to historical situations and i ...

. This was followed by a readership in recent economic and social history at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university in contin ...

, and then as a professorial fellow of

Nuffield College, Oxford Nuffield College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is a graduate college and specialises in the social sciences, particularly economics, politics and sociology. Nuffield is one of Oxford's newer c ...

, 1956–77 (emeritus 1977). He served as the editor of the ''

Economic History Review ''The Economic History Review'' is a peer-reviewed history journal published quarterly by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Economic History Society. It was established in 1927 by Eileen Power and is currently edited by Sara Horrell, Jaime Reis ...

'' from 1960 through 1968. From his retirement in 1977, Hartwell served as visiting professor of economics at the University of Virginia every fall semester into the early 1990s, and often spent the spring semester at the University of Chicago in a similar capacity.Obituary in ''The Independent''
Retrieved: 2016-08-23. His article "The Rising Standard of Living in England, 1800–1850" in the ''

'' generated a great deal of controversy. Hartwell's view that industrialisation had immeasurably improved the lot of the poor was in contrast to the prevailing opinion, notably that of

Eric Hobsbawn Eric John Ernest Hobsbawm (; 9 June 1917 – 1 October 2012) was a British historian of the rise of industrial capitalism, socialism and nationalism. A life-long Marxist, his socio-political convictions influenced the character of his work. ...

, that stressed the damaging economic effects industrialization on the poor."Max Hartwell: Influential economic historian unafraid to provoke controversy"
''

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''. Retrieved 3 May 2013 He was a member and – from 1992 to 1994, president – of the

Mont Pelerin Society The Mont Pelerin Society (MPS) is an international organization composed of economists, philosophers, historians, intellectuals and business leaders. Michael Novak, 'The Moral Imperative of a Free Economy', in '' The 4% Solution: Unleashing the ...

Publications

*''The Economic Development of Van Diemen's Land, 1820–1850'' (1954) *"The Rising Standard of Living in England, 1800–1850" (1961) *''The causes of the Industrial Revolution in England'' (Introduction) (1967) *''The Industrial Revolution and Economic Growth'' (1971)

References

Festschrifts

* O'Brien, Patrick and Quinault, Roland. eds, (1993) ''The Industrial Revolution and British Society: Festschrift for R.M. Hartwell'', Cambridge University Press * James, John A. and Thomas, Mark eds (1994) ''Capitalism in context: essays on economic development and cultural change in honor of R.M. Hartwell'', University of Chicago Press {{DEFAULTSORT:Hartwell, Ronald Max 1921 births 2009 deaths Fellows of Nuffield College, Oxford 20th-century Australian historians Australian emigrants to the United Kingdom