Democracy and Religion: Gladstone and the Liberal Party 1867–1875 (Cambridge Studies in the History and Theory of Politics)

This book relates the political history of mid-nineteenth-century Britain to the assumptions which then prevailed about the abstract moral purposes of political activity. A great number of mid-Victorian writers and politicians expressed far-reaching hopes for the future development of British society, indeed for its regeneration; and such hopes were inspired by their religious outlook. They contended that these aims would be promoted by the pursuit, by governments, of particular educational, ecclesiastical, Irish and other policies. Part I of this book examines at length the varying aspirations, in this direction, of the different elements of Gladstone's Liberal party. In addition to Gladstone's own views, those of whigs, broad churchmen, theist intellectuals, high churchmen's interests are all analysed, in an account which ranges far beyond the time limits suggested by the book's title. Part II recounts the disputes within the party which these conflicting aims provoked between 1867 and 1875. These years were marked by the rise and fall of Gladstone's first and most active government, by the disestablishment of Irish Church in 1869 and the passage of the 1870 Elementary Education Act. In addition, politicians were introduced to a long series of broader and more intangible problems with connotations for religious and political stability - including those thrown up by the 1867 Reform Act, the Vatican Council, the Franco-Prussian war, the progress of the free-thinking movement, the rise of the home rule party in Ireland, and the growth of ritualism within the Church of England. Dr Parry shows how the attempt to tackle these issues slowly paralysed the effectiveness of Gladstone's government, leading to its fall in 1874, and to a crisis about the identity of British Liberalism which was never subsequently resolved. A long introduction and conclusion reassess the history of the Liberal party between 1832 and 1886, in the light of the book's findings. Dr Parry's work offers a radically new synthesis of political, intellectual and ecclesiastical history. It challenges the view that nineteenth-century politics can be understood properly if it is treated in primarily secular terms. This book relates the political history of mid-nineteenth-century Britain to the assumptions which then prevailed about the abstract moral purposes of political activity. A great number of mid-Victorian writers and politicians expressed far-reaching hopes for the future development of British society, indeed for its regeneration; and such hopes were inspired by their religious outlook. They contended that these aims would be promoted by the pursuit, by governments, of particular educational, ecclesiastical, Irish and other policies. Part I of this book examines at length the varying aspirations, in this direction, of the different elements of Gladstone's Liberal party. In addition to Gladstone's own views, those of whigs, broad churchmen, theist intellectuals, high churchmen, liberal Catholics, nonconformists, secularist radicals and spokesmen for working-men's interests are all analysed, in an account which ranges far beyond the time limits suggested by the book's title. Part II recounts the disputes within the party which these conflicting aims provoked between 1867 and 1875. These years were marked by the rise and fall of Gladstone's first and most active government, by the disestablishment of the Irish Church in 1869 and the passage of the 1870 Elementary Education Act. In addition, politicians were introduced to a long series of broader and more intangible problems with connotations for religious and political stability -- including those thrown up by the 1867 Reform Act, the Vatican Council, the Franco-Prussian war, the progress of the free-thinking movement, the rise of the home rule party in Ireland, and the growth of ritualism within the Church of England. Dr Parry shows howthe attempt to tackle these issues slowly paralysed the effectiveness of Gladstone's government, leading to its fall in 1874, and to a crisis about the identity of British Liberalism which was never subsequently resolved. A long introduction and conclusion reassess the history of the Liberal party between 1832 and 1886, in the light of the book's findings.Dr. Parry's work offers a radically new synthesis of political, intellectual and ecclesiastical history. It challenges the view that nineteenth-century politics can be understood properly if it is treated in primarily secular terms. Contents......Page 5 List of tables......Page 7 Acknowledgments......Page 8 Notes on text, index and footnotes......Page 10 Introduction......Page 13 PART I......Page 67 1 - THE WHIG-LIBERALS: I......Page 69 Church and state......Page 92 The Church of Scotland......Page 114 Education......Page 117 Social reform......Page 124 The party system......Page 128 Protestantism and foreign policy......Page 133 Catholicism......Page 137 Ireland......Page 140 Perceptions of the Conservatives......Page 149 Perceptions of Gladstone......Page 152 Whig-liberals in parliament......Page 156 3 - GLADSTONE, HIGH CHURCHMEN AND LIBERAL CATHOLICS......Page 162 Introduction: the high-church mission......Page 163 Gladstone: Church and state......Page 165 Gladstone: education......Page 176 Gladstone and Liberal politics......Page 179 Gladstone: foreign policy......Page 186 Gladstone: Ireland......Page 188 Liberal high churchmen......Page 193 Liberal Catholics and Irish home rulers......Page 205 4 - THE RADICALS......Page 211 Nonconformists......Page 212 The radical MPs......Page 241 Working-men......Page 244 Morley, Harrison and positivism......Page 251 Academic liberals......Page 261 PART II......Page 271 Liberal disunity, 1867--8......Page 273 A fragile unity restored, 1868......Page 279 The apogee of unity: the Irish Church Act, 1869......Page 292 Irish disorder and the Vatican council, 1869--70......Page 301 The crisis over English and Irish education in the 1870 session......Page 307 The arousal of provincial Liberalism, 1870--1......Page 318 First intimations of mortality, late 1871......Page 333 The Manchester conference and English politics in 1872......Page 345 The Scottish Education Act......Page 351 Ireland in the 1872 session......Page 355 The framing, introduction and defeat of the Irish University Bill, 1872--3......Page 365 1873: a wasted session......Page 381 The 1874 election......Page 393 The 1874 session: ritualism and Scottish patronage......Page 423 Vaticanism and Gladstone's resignation, 1874--5......Page 433 Conclusion......Page 441 Bibliography......Page 465 Index......Page 505 Cambridge Studies in the History and Theory of Politics......Page 517 The 'whig-liberals' of this chapter and the next shared many of the religious views generally attributed to mid-century continental liberals. J.p. Parry. Includes Index. Bibliography: P. 453-492.