The Edwardian Crisis: Britain 1901–14 (British History in Perspective, 48)

The Edwardian age has long been recognised as a time of unusual social and political turbulence in British history. This book examines the main controversies of the period in an attempt to assess the nature and seriousness of the Edwardian crisis, relating the discussion to current historiographical debates on topics such as the vitality of Edwardian Liberalism, the problems of the Unionist party and the importance of feminism, labour unrest and nationalism as factors in Edwardian political life. "In the course of the 1920s the Liberal Party disappeared as a serious party of government, though its demise followed hard upon one of its greatest periods of success. For many years historians have struggled to make sense of this strange story, and this second edition of a classic text brings the debate right up to date. Some see the Party's collapse as a consequence of a deep moral or ideological crisis, a loss of belief in Liberalism as a creed; the impact of the Great War, in particular, is said to have done irreparable damage to its adherents' self-confidence. Other historians think that the Liberals were replaced by Labour as a direct consequence of the growing importance of class divisions, though there is no clear agreement about when this important transition took place. Yet another approach is to emphasise matters of accident and individual personality. Would the Liberal Party, for example, have floundered so badly in the 1890s but for Gladstone's sudden adoption of Home Rule? The Liberals seem also to have inflicted deep injury on their own party by the quarrels which rent the leadership in the 1890s and still more by the implacable vendetta waged between the followers of Asquith and Lloyd George after 1916." "This book provides a balanced survey of the rich literature which has grown up around this important topic. It introduces readers to the major lines of interpretation and suggests ways in which seemingly divergent accounts might be reconciled. This new edition includes extended coverage of the Liberal Party and women's suffrage."--BOOK JACKET "For many people the late eighteenth century was a period of political corruption, with the political world waiting for the triumph of reform. In this study, now in a revised edition, John Derry shows that the traditional political system was more remarkable for its resilience than for its defects, and that it succeeded to an astonishing extent in meeting the challenges of war, the threat from the French Revolution, and the problems caused by unprecedented social and economic change. A narrative is combined with analysis of the assumptions on which the practice of politics was based and the fashion in which politicians responded to the demands made of them.". "Due weight is given to the element of continuity. The king continued to play a significant role in politics, and no ministry could survive without the confidence of the crown and the support of the country gentlemen, and Pitt and Liverpool owed their success to their ability to appeal to these two powerful political forces. The importance of the French Revolution is not underplayed, but war is seen as of greater significance than ideology in bringing about a polarisation of opinion and the dominance of a conservation which rested squarely upon traditional values. But transformation was also part of the story, and this study is fascinating in the manner in which it demonstrates the subtle blend of the old and the new which gave politics their unique flavour. The personalities of George III, Fox, Pitt and Liverpool are brought to life in a style which will entertain as well as inform."--BOOK JACKET. Drawing on the fruits of recent research, this book reassesses the nature and seriousness of the Edwardian crisis, exploring the tensions of these years in relation to the longer-term trends of modern British history and the key areas of current historiographical debate. Among the themes considered are the viability of Edwardian Liberalism in the face of competition from the Labour left and the Unionist right; the problems of the Conservative party; and the expanding role of the state in the provision of social welfare and the organisation of economic and industrial life. The reasons for the growth of extra-parliamentary protest are discussed and the main components of the domestic crisis - constitutional and party conflict, suffragette militancy, trade union and Irish unrest - are examined against the background of social and economic change and the developing crisis in external affairs which culminated in the outbreak of the First World War.The author provides a stimulating interpretation of the Edwardian period, offering valuable insights into the difficulties of governing a society in a time of rapid modernisation and suggesting a new perspective on the question of whether Britain was on the verge of revolution in the summer of 1914. Gregory Claeys explores the reception of the French Revolution in Britain through the medium of its leading interpreters. Claeys argues that the major figures--Thomas Paine, Edmund Burke, Mary Wollstonecraft, William Godwin and John Thelwall--collectively laid the foundations for political debate for the following century, and longer Front Matter....Pages i-ix Introduction....Pages 1-9 The Social Crisis....Pages 10-38 The Constitutional Crisis, 1909–11....Pages 39-67 Suffragism and Feminism....Pages 68-97 The Challenge of Labour....Pages 98-130 Ireland and the Crisis of Nationalism....Pages 131-162 Conclusion....Pages 163-176 Back Matter....Pages 177-213 In order to reach a balanced assessment of the evidence, historians must engage with all of the debate. This text introduces the reader to economic and quantitative analysis. Roger Middleton makes an assessment of the questions that dominate both the historical and the political debate.