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This is an analysis of the transformation of society during the 16th and 17th centuries as a result of the diversification of English industry. This development was largely fostered by the government, eager to reduce expensive imports and to lessen dependence on foreign wares. The new occupations employed great numbers of men, women and children and thus helped to absorb the growing population into the economy, fostering the growth of a consumer society. Political economists thereafter formulated a new view of the economy, emphasizing the role of labour in creating wealth.