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Protestant Refugees, the Calvinist Ethic and the Industrial Revolution

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  • Bernard C. Beaudreau

    (Université Laval)

Abstract

In this paper, it is argued that the industrial revolution in eighteenth century Great Britain had its origins in the arrival of 100,000–140,000 Protestant refugees in England and Ireland in the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Specifically, it is argued that their arrival prompted both Schmooklerian pull and push factors. The pull factor was the thousands of refugee merchants and ship owners/captains to England and Ireland resulting in the creation of the Protestant International (1550-1750). This increased the demand for tradables which in turn spurred invention and innovation among refugees (push factor) and their descendants as well as in the local population. These factors were self-reinforcing, leading in time to the industrial revolution. The result is a novel account of the origins of the industrial revolution, one that is consistent with competing explanations.

Suggested Citation

  • Bernard C. Beaudreau, 2021. "Protestant Refugees, the Calvinist Ethic and the Industrial Revolution," Atlantic Economic Journal, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 49(3), pages 273-291, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:atlecj:v:49:y:2021:i:3:d:10.1007_s11293-021-09725-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s11293-021-09725-2
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Murray, Alice Effie, 1903. "A History of the Commercial and Financial Relations between England and Ireland from the Period of the Restoration," History of Economic Thought Books, McMaster University Archive for the History of Economic Thought, number murray1903.
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    4. North, Douglass C. & Weingast, Barry R., 1989. "Constitutions and Commitment: The Evolution of Institutions Governing Public Choice in Seventeenth-Century England," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 49(4), pages 803-832, December.
    5. Erik Hornung, 2014. "Immigration and the Diffusion of Technology: The Huguenot Diaspora in Prussia," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(1), pages 84-122, January.
    6. Cole, W. A., 1973. "Eighteenth-century economic growth revisited," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 10(4), pages 327-348.
    7. Daron Acemoglu & Simon Johnson & James Robinson, 2005. "The Rise of Europe: Atlantic Trade, Institutional Change, and Economic Growth," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 95(3), pages 546-579, June.
    8. Schmookler, Jacob, 1962. "Economic Sources of Inventive Activity," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 22(1), pages 1-20, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Bernard C. Beaudreau, 2023. "A Pull–Push Theory of Industrial Revolutions," International Advances in Economic Research, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 29(4), pages 303-317, November.

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