A Disunited Kingdom?: England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, 1800–1949

by Christine Kinealy

• ISBN13: 9780521598446
• ISBN10: 0521598443
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-04-13
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

When did the United Kingdom come into being? What were the steps which led to its conception? Was the creation of the United Kingdom a symptom of national coherence or of disunity between the countries that made up the union? Did a new national identity come into being after 1801, or did old allegiances and loyalties become more deeply embedded? Is the eventual breakup of the re-constituted United Kingdom inevitable? In seeking answers to these questions, and explaining how the United Kingdom has evolved, the author explores a number of key themes including:the steps to political union,economic change, religion, education, social welfare, war and national identity.

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(4)
Towards a political union	5	(9)
Union with Wales	5	(1)
Scotland: the imperfect union	6	(2)
Ireland: England's first colony?	8	(1)
A united kingdom?	9	(1)
Unity and divergences	10	(1)
Document case study	11	(3)
A national economy?	14	(19)
Economic unification	14	(2)
Wales: fuelling the revolution	16	(1)
England: the workshop of the world?	17	(3)
Ireland: success and stagnation	20	(2)
Two economies: Ireland after partition	22	(2)
Scotland: a dual economy	24	(2)
Post-war decline	26	(2)
Document case study	28	(5)
Religion: separation and schism	33	(18)
A union of churches	33	(1)
England: a Protestant nation	34	(2)
The Catholic challenge	36	(3)
Wales: the triumph of nonconformism	39	(2)
Scotland: schism and unity	41	(2)
Ireland: church and nation	43	(3)
The decline of religion	46	(1)
Document case study	47	(4)
Educating the nations	51	(17)
Irish education -- a social laboratory?	51	(2)
Ireland after 1920 -- partition and division	53	(2)
England, Scotland and Wales: reform and reaction	55	(4)
Secondary education	59	(2)
Wales: church and chapel	61	(1)
Higher education in the United Kingdom	62	(3)
Document case study	65	(3)
Poor relief: from Poor Law to welfare state	68	(14)
A 'new' Poor Law for England and Wales	68	(2)
Ireland: a new departure	70	(1)
Scotland: kirk and state	71	(1)
A uniform system of relief?	72	(1)
New century -- new attitudes?	73	(4)
Document case study	77	(5)
War: fighting against 'the Other'	82	(12)
Defending the empire: the Boer War	82	(1)
The Great War, 1914--18: a total war?	83	(4)
The Irish response	87	(2)
War as a catalyst for change?	89	(1)
Fighting a common enemy: the Second World War	90	(2)
Document case study	92	(2)
Nationalism and cultural identity	94	(30)
A united kingdom?	94	(5)
Ireland: union and discord	99	(10)
A divided island: culture and nationalism	109	(1)
Wales: culture and nation	110	(3)
Scotland: autonomy and integration	113	(5)
The re-emergence of nationalism	118	(1)
Document case study	119	(5)
Conclusion: a perfect union or a disunited kingdom?	124	(5)
Select bibliography	129	(3)
Chronology	132	(3)
Index	135