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 forerunner 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.
