British Society 1680–1880: Dynamism, Containment and Change

by Richard Price

• ISBN13: 9780521657013
• ISBN10: 0521657016
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-11-28
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Richard Price offers a radical new interpretation of modern British history. He argues that the period 1680-1880 was a distinct era in British history, a dynamic period of much change but which was ultimately contained within clearly defined boundaries. Professor Price thus identifies the nineteenth century as the end of this period rather than the moment of modernity. Elegantly written and lucidly organized, this study will be of value to all scholars and students with an interest in this fascinating period.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Acknowledgments	x
Introduction: beginnings, periods and problems	1	(16)
The economy of manufacture	17	(35)
A universal merchant to the world: the political economy of commerce and finance	52	(36)
The ambiguities of free trade	88	(35)
The reach of the state: taxation	123	(32)
The age of localism	155	(37)
The public, the private and the state: civil society 1680--1880	192	(42)
Exclusion and inclusion: the political consequences of 1688	234	(30)
Exclusion and inclusion: defending the politics of finality 1832--1885	264	(28)
The stabilities and instabilities of elite authority: social relations c.1688--c.1880	292	(44)
Afterword	336	(7)
Index	343