The exposition of 1851

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About this book

"The exposition of 1851: or, Views of the industry, the science, and the government, of England" by Charles Babbage is a political and economic treatise written in the mid-19th century. Centered on the Great Exhibition, it analyzes how industry, science, and public institutions should be organized and judged, arguing for free exchange, competition, and transparent pricing. The work critiques official management and party politics, proposes practical rules for exhibitions, and ranges from trade theory and scientific organization to the author’s own Calculating Engines. The opening of the work defends the author’s frank, personal approach in a combative preface, attacks party tactics and governmental small-mindedness, and notes prior advice he gave on the Exhibition’s site and on publishing prices. Babbage then distinguishes universal from general principles, stresses the power of small, repeated causes, and models careful analysis through a simple shovel-and-barrow example.