This study investigates the growth of the industrial workforce in the Ottoman empire and Turkey in the period from 1840 to 1940, when the Industrial Revolution began to have a serious impact on the Middle East. Special attention is devoted to the role of ethnicity and gender; to the transition from traditional guilds to modern trade unions; work stoppages and strikes; and the role of the state.

Introduction by: Donald Quataert
Preface by: Erik Jan Zuercher