The People's Bread : A History of the Anti-Corn Law League

Formed in 1839, the Anti-Corn Law League was one of the most important campaigns to introduce the ideas of economic liberalism into mainstream political discourse in Britain. Its aspiration for free trade played a crucial role in defining the agenda of nineteenth-century liberalism and shaping the modern British state. Its faith in the free market still resonates in Britain's public policy debates today. This is the first comprehensive study of the League which makes use of recent methodological developments in social history. MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict Contents 6 List of Illustrations 8 Acknowledgements 10 1 Introduction 12 2 'An Engine of Political Warfare' 25 3 A Nation of Repealers: The League in the English Provinces and Scotland 52 4 West Britons: The League in Wales and Ireland 78 5 The Organ of Veneration: The League and Religion 99 6 'The Petticoat Politicians of Manchester': Women and the League 127 7 'The People's Grain': The League and the Working Class 150 8 'A Guerilla Warfare': The League and Parliament 176 9 Theatres of Discussion: League Meetings and Rituals 202 10 'The Progeny of Mammon': A Biographical Analysis of the Manchester Anti-Corn Law Association Council, 1839–40 228 11 Conclusion: 'A Long and Doubtful Road' 258 Appendix 1: Anti-Corn Law Associations, 1838–44 264 Appendix 2: Localities Represented at League National Delegate Conferences 272 Appendix 3: Members of Parliament who Voted for Total and Immediate Repeal, 1842–46 277 Appendix 4: Manchester Anti-Corn Law Association Council, 1839–40 283 Appendix 5: Occupation Profile of the Manchester ACLA Council, 1839–40 295 Select Bibliography 298 Index 306 A 306 B 306 C 307 D 308 E 308 F 308 G 308 H 309 I 309 J 309 K 309 L 310 M 310 N 311 O 311 P 312 Q 312 R 312 S 313 T 313 U 314 V 314 W 314 Y 315