science

Ronald Max Hartwell

Ronald Max Hartwell is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Ronald Max Hartwell rather than just read about it. In short: Ronald Max Hartwell (1921–2009) was an Australian-born liberal economic historian of the British Industrial Revolution. Life Hartwell's first academic appointment was at University of New South Wales in 1950, where he held the chair of economic history.

Key takeaways

Ronald Max Hartwell belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Ronald Max Hartwell to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Ronald Max Hartwell from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Ronald Max Hartwell (1921–2009) was an Australian-born liberal economic historian of the British Industrial Revolution.

Life Hartwell's first academic appointment was at University of New South Wales in 1950, where he held the chair of economic history. He resigned in 1956, over the refusal of Philip Baxter as vice-chancellor, backed by Wallace Charles Wurth, to allow the appointment of Russel Ward. Hartwell claimed, later, that the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation had influenced the decision. Hartwell went to a readership in recent economic and social history at the University of Oxford, and then was a professorial fellow of Nuffield College, Oxford, 1956–77 (emeritus 1977). He served as the editor of the Economic History Review from 1960 through 1968. From his retirement in 1977, Hartwell served as visiting professor of economics at the University of Virginia every fall semester into the early 1990s, and often spent the spring semester at the University of Chicago in a similar capacity. His article "The Rising Standard of Living in England, 1800–1850" in the Economic History Review generated a controversy. Hartwell's view that industrialisation had much improved the lot of the poor was in contrast to the prevailing opinion, notably that of Eric Hobsbawm, which stressed the damaging economic effects industrialization on the poor. Richard J. Evans wrote that "the end result of the Hobsbawn/Hartwell debate might be viewed as inconclusive", while pointing out its stimulus to further research. Hartwell was a member of, and from 1992 to 1994 president of, the Mont Pelerin Society.

Publications The Economic Development of Van Diemen's Land, 1820–1850 (1954) "The Rising Standard of Living in England, 1800–1850" (1961) The causes of the Industrial Revolution in England (Introduction) (1967) The Industrial Revolution and Economic Growth (1971)

References

Festschrifts O'Brien, Patrick and Quinault, Roland. eds, (1993) The Industrial Revolution and British Society: Festschrift for R.M. Hartwell, Cambridge University Press James, John A. and Thomas, Mark eds (1994) Capitalism in context: essays on economic development and cultural change in honor of R.M. Hartwell, University of Chicago Press

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Ronald Max Hartwell

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Ronald Max Hartwell claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Ronald Max Hartwell before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Ronald Max Hartwell ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Ronald Max Hartwell

In research: Ronald Max Hartwell appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Ronald Max Hartwell in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Ronald Max Hartwell is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1921 births, 2009 deaths, 20th-century Australian historians, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Ronald Max Hartwell outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Ronald Max Hartwell in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Ronald Max Hartwell means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Ronald Max Hartwell out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ronald Max Hartwell in simple terms?

Ronald Max Hartwell (1921–2009) was an Australian-born liberal economic historian of the British Industrial Revolution. Life Hartwell's first academic appointment was at University of New South Wales in 1950, where he held the chair of economic history.

Why does Ronald Max Hartwell matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Ronald Max Hartwell?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Ronald Max Hartwell.