Argues that on the basis of evidence of British soldiers there was a threat of a Malthusian crisis on the eve of the Industrial Revolution.

The discovery of the New World enabled the nutritional status of the European populations to be maintained sufficiently to avoid a major Malthusian catastrophe as in prior centuries.

Constructs and analyzes an index of industrial Production for Hungary between 1830-1913.

Considers the development of the European economies from the Middle Ages to the Industrial Revolution to argue that the accumulation of physical and human capital played a major role in the escape from the Malthusian trap.

Argues that the Industrial Revolution is best conceptualized as having grown out of a process that began millennia earlier, and became possible only when the European populations were able to escape from the Malthusian trap which constrained their growth in prior centuries.

Presents an overview of the various conceptualizations of the Industrial Revolution and comes to the conclusion that it is useful to consider the Industrial revolution as an escape from the Malthusian constraints.