The transfer of technology from Great Britain to Sweden 1825-1850: a study of the international diffusion of machine technology

Geoffrey D. Gooch, Reinhold Castensson

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    During the first half of the 19th century presumptive Swedish manufacturers were eager to obtain new industrial technology, and they sought to import tools and machinery from the industrialized countries of Europe. The authors have traced the import of machine-tools to Sweden during the years 1825 to 1850, and mapped the diffusion of that technology within Sweden. It is shown that Britain was the predominant supplier of technology to Sweden, and that the city of Gothenburg was the principal entry point for the inflow of machinery. The destination for much of the imported technology was Gothenburg's hinterland, although technology was also dispersed from that port to locations in the whole of southern Sweden. This paper contends that the technology imported was not the most advanced available, and that the Swedish workshops failed to utilize the advances in machine-tool technology which were achieved by British engineers in the first decades of the 19th century. The study is based on analyses of archival material in Sweden and Britain. -from Authors
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)175-185
    Number of pages11
    JournalGeografiska Annaler: Series B, Human Geography
    Volume73
    Issue number3
    Publication statusPublished - 1991

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