ers ▁suggested ▁that ▁similar ▁conditions ▁had ▁ar isen ▁in ▁other ▁parts ▁of ▁the ▁world . ▁Most ▁aspects ▁of ▁the ▁theory ▁have ▁been ▁challeng ed ▁by ▁other ▁histor ians . ▁ ▁History ▁ ▁The ▁term ▁was ▁co ined ▁by ▁Franklin ▁M end els ▁in ▁his ▁ 1 9 6 9 ▁doctor al ▁dis sert ation ▁on ▁the ▁rural ▁lin en ▁industry ▁in ▁ 1 8 th - century ▁Fland ers ▁and ▁popular ized ▁in ▁his ▁ 1 9 7 2 ▁article ▁based ▁on ▁that ▁work . ▁M end els ▁argued ▁that ▁using ▁sur plus ▁labor , ▁initially ▁available ▁during ▁slow ▁periods ▁of ▁the ▁agricult ural ▁seasons , ▁increased ▁rural ▁in comes , ▁broke ▁the ▁mon opol ies ▁of ▁urban ▁gu ild ▁system ▁and ▁weak ened ▁rural ▁trad itions ▁that ▁had ▁limited ▁population ▁growth . ▁The ▁resulting ▁increase ▁in ▁population ▁led ▁to ▁further ▁growth ▁in ▁production , ▁in ▁a ▁self - s ust aining ▁process ▁that , ▁M end els ▁claimed , ▁created ▁the ▁labour , ▁capital ▁and ▁entrepr ene ur ial ▁skill ▁that ▁led ▁to ▁industrial ization . ▁ ▁Other ▁histor ians ▁expanded ▁on ▁these ▁ideas ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 7 0 s ▁and ▁ 1 9 8 0 s . ▁In ▁their ▁ 1 9 7 9 ▁book , ▁Peter ▁K ried te , ▁Hans ▁Med ick ▁and ▁J ürgen ▁Schl um bo hm ▁expanded ▁the ▁theory ▁into ▁a ▁broad ▁account ▁of ▁the ▁transformation ▁of ▁European ▁society ▁from ▁fe ud al ism ▁to ▁industrial ▁capital ism . ▁They ▁viewed ▁proto - indust