This book analyses a peculiar phase in the history of Stockholm which has not previously been systematically investigated. Between 1750 and 1850 the Swedish capital experienced long-term stagnation, characterized by de-industrialization and slow population growth. In this study various aspects of the economic and social history of the period are examined in detail, including the decline of manufacturing, the causes of the extremely high rates of mortality and extra-marital fertility, and the distribution of economic resources. Social and spatial patterns of poverty are described and the trends and fluctuations in prices and real wages charted and compared with other European towns and cities.