Britain's Century: A Political and Social History, 1815-1905

Description

The nineteenth century was Britain's, in the sense that during the period she more closely approached the status of world hegemonic power than ever before - or since. The workshop of the world and the homeland of the mind, Britain was an unchallenged industrial and manufacturing power, with undisputed control of the seas and the largest formal empire ever seen. She was also a place of refuge for liberal intelligentsia in flight from despotic and reactionary regimes elsewhere in the world. Looking at the historical evolution of the central political institutions, and the social milieu surrounding them, this book helps to explain Britain's pre-eminence during the nineteenth century. The 'political' history of the country from 1815 to 1905 - a substantial part of the book - provides the necessary foundation for a social history that focuses particularly on issues of demography, religion, social class, and gender.

W.D. Rubinstein is a Professor at University of Wales, Aberystwyth

"There is something refreshing about this approach-that students actually learn something about how the British Cabinet system works, for instance...very useful for students...Rubinstein has written an honest...useful...textbook for students taking nineteenth-century British history courses." --Teaching History "The discussion of Britain's industrial supremacy...is clear and up to date with recent research in the field, but the strength of this book lies with the author's brief and interesting biographical sketches of ministers and monarchs....an interesting book, a valuable successor to the older Oxford volumes by E.L. Woodward and R.C.K. Ensor covering the same period." --Albion