Description
Based on the latest research, this authoritative and thought-provoking history takes a fresh view of what was a period of unprecedented and rapid change. A key theme is the challenge presented by democracy in a period framed by the First and the Fourth Reform Acts. The book explores the implications of this challenge for the role of the state, for the governance of Empire, and for the relationship between the different nations within the United Kingdom. Suitable for 1st year/2nd year undergradates studying 19th Century British History.
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Cunningham (social history, U. of Kent, UK) traces the "meandering stream" of the slow and halting process of the extension of democratic rights in Britain, from the Reform Act of 1832 to the extension of the voting franchise to all women and men over the age of 30 in 1918. He examines the political efforts of both opponents and proponents of democratization, arguing that many of the elites saw democratization as a way of staving off revolution. The tension between democracy and the exigencies of foreign policy and the maintenance of empire are given prominence in the discussion. Cunningham concludes that the fears of the elites regarding democracy were not realized, in large part because the working class was indoctrinated into notions of racial superiority, capitalism as the natural order, and power being exercised by those suited to it by birth and education. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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