Monograph on the history of social change in Europe from 1700 to the present day - examines the evolution of present social classes, the process of industrialization, the emergence of the entrepreneurial Elite upper middle class, social mobility, urbanization and the coming of the welfare state, the standard of living of modern society, etc. Bibliography pp. 237 to 248 and references.

This book is a wide-ranging survey of European society in the two centuries preceding the Industrial Revolution. It draws on published research in the major European languages, and provides a broad overview of the major structural changes that occurred between 1500 and 1700, both in social organization and in the various social classes.

First published in 1993. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.