This is a study of the parliamentary history of the Whigs during the Age of Reform, describing the extent to which both Grey and Melbourne's governments, with Peel's assistance, attempted to safeguard the interests of the landed aristocracy while allowing for moderate reforms in Church and State.

This long-awaited second edition sees this classic text by a leading scholar given a new lease of life. It comes complete with a wealth of original material on a range of topics and takes into account the vital research that has been undertaken in the field in the last two decades. The book considers the development of the internal structure of Britain and explores the growing sense of British nationhood. It looks at the role of religion in matters of state and society, in addition to society's own move towards a class-based system. Commercial and imperial expansion, Britain's role in Europe and the early stages of liberalism are also examined. This new edition is fully updated to include: - Revised and thorough treatments of the themes of gender and religion and of the 1832 Reform Act - New sections on 'Commerce and Empire' and 'Britain and Europe' - Several new maps and charts - A revised introduction and a more extensive conclusion - Updated note sections and bibliographies The Long Eighteenth Century is the essential text for any student seeking to understand the nuances of this absorbing period of British history.

Focusing on the institutions and players of central and local government during an era of great transformation, Peter Jupp examines the cohesive nature of the British state, and how Britain was governed between 1688 and 1848. Divided into two parts, bisected by the accession of George III in 1760, this study: examines the changes to the framework and function of executive government presents an analysis of its achievements, the composition and functions of Parliament explores Parliament’s role in government looks at the interaction between the executive, Parliament and the public. Providing new insights into the formulation of notions and traditions of legislation, the public sphere and popular politics, The Governing of Britain is an essential guide to a formative era in political life.

This book explores the importance of history to Elizabethan and early Stuart gentry and how this led to a vibrant antiquarian culture. The family, town and county histories written by the community, which form the core of the study, had an influence on the development of local history in England which lasted into the twentieth century and is still felt today. Eschewing a narrow historiographical approach, the author examines a range of manuscript and published works and other material reflecting the gentry's interest in the past: pedigree rolls, antiquarian notebooks, heraldic displays and maps. The book provides a survey of the development of local history in England from its medieval origins to 1660. This is followed by chapters on the practicalities of local historical research: the national educational and institutional framework, the development of regional networks of local historians and the gentlemen who controlled access to their sources, and analysis of the source materials available. The final section features chapters on genealogy, didacticism and the physical world.

This book is the first on the creation, development and influence of popular politics, specifically the role of Political Unions, on the Great Reform Act of 1832. Political Unions and the force of public opinion played a vital role in seeing the Reform Bill through Parliament and setting England on the path of peaceful, legislative reform. Their emphasis on representing the 'industrious' classes linked the Unions to the emerging debates - political and socio-economic - in later Victorian Britain and the evolution of British participatory democracy.

In a period scarred by apprehensions of revolution, war, invasion, poverty and disease, elite members of society lived in fear of revolt. Boyd Hilton examines the changes in society between 1783-1846 and the transformations from raffish and rakish behaviour to the new norms of Victorian respectability.

The 1832 Reform Act was a watershed in the history of modern Britain, profoundly affecting the composition of parliament and the course of all subsequent legislation. This new edition of The Great Reform Act of 1832 extends and updates Eric J. Evans's classic account of the crucial political and economic issues and: * highlights the travails of Toryism at the end of the 1820s * clarifies complex questions of policy * shows the connections between the Reform Act of 1832 and subsequent radical activity and reform legislation * presents revised electoral statistics. An accessible and stimulating guide to the student of modern political history, students of history and political history will find this invaluable to their studies.

This authoritative and thought-provoking history takes a fresh view of what was a period of unprecedented and rapid change. Assuming no prior knowledge of the subject, Hugh Cunningham provides a clear narrative of political events, and an analysis of change and continuity in ideas and in economic and social structure. Britain is set firmly in the context of world power and the possession of empire. An overarching theme is the challenge presented by democracy in a period framed by the First and Fourth Reform Acts. ‘Democracy’ had no stable meaning, and its opponents were just as vocal as its advocates. The book explores its implications for the role of the state, for the governance of empire, and for the relationship between the different nations within the United Kingdom.

Volume 8 of The Royal Historical Society Transactions contains essays based around the theme 'identities and empires'.