Technology and the Search for Progress in Modern Mexico
Edward Beatty
- 360 pages
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
Technology and the Search for Progress in Modern Mexico
Edward Beatty
About This Book
In the late nineteenth century, Mexican citizens quickly adopted new technologies imported from abroad to sew cloth, manufacture glass bottles, refine minerals, and provide many goods and services. Rapid technological change supported economic growth and also brought cultural change and social dislocation. Drawing on three detailed case studiesâthe sewing machine, a glass bottleâblowing factory, and the cyanide process for gold and silver refiningâEdward Beatty explores a central paradox of economic growth in nineteenth-century Mexico: while Mexicans made significant efforts to integrate new machines and products, difficulties in assimilating the skills required to use emerging technologies resulted in a persistent dependence on international expertise.