The Decline of Jute:

Managing Industrial Change

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Jim Tomlinson, Carlo Morelli and Valerie Wright

Perspectives in Economic and Social History

Up until the First World War a number of staple exports formed the core of Britain’s industrial economy, employing a large workforce and developing the towns and cities associated with them. While the nineteenth century saw the rapid expansion of these export industries, the twentieth century was marked by their extensive decline.

Jute was one industry that experienced such a contraction. As the export of processed jute declined, both the employers and the government faced the problem of managing this descent. Located almost entirely in and around Dundee, jute provides a valuable case study of a local industry but also an important insight into Britain’s managed economy. By looking at jute as the pioneer of decline this study assesses the successes and failures of these efforts. It also addresses broader arguments about the political economy of twentieth-century Britain.

Readership

Social and Economic History, Industrial Britian, Gender Studies and Twentieth Century

Contents

Introduction: Managing Decline
1 The Story to 1940
2 The Development of the Industry, 1940–98
3 The Industry and its Workforce
4 Repositioning the Industry
5 Defending the Industry
6 Influencing Government
7 The Decline of Jute anf the Economic Health of Dundee
Conclusion: Managing Decline

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