Entrepreneurship in an industry subject to external shocks: British “coalowners”, 1900‐1946

This article on coalmining, a key industry for Britain in the period covered, has three main purposes. First, it updates previous overviews of entrepreneurial performance by surveying recent contributions to old controversies. Second, it provides a new perspective by looking at 1900‐1946 as a whole, instead of separately assessing performance before and after 1914. This view takes account of the fact that frequently the same individual acted as entrepreneur over several decades. It also points to elements of continuity which existed in contrast to marked changes in markets after 1914. The third aim is to identify further work required before a more conclusive assessment of entrepreneurial performance can emerge. Meanwhile however the article tends, while not denying individual cases of poor performance, to concur with previous studies which have concluded that the strikingly poor reputation of entrepreneurs in coal among contemporaries during the interwar years was not generally justified.