A Companion to Eighteenth-Century Britain - (Blackwell Companions to British History) by H T Dickinson (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

This authoritative Companion introduces readers to the developments that lead to Britain becoming a great world power, the leading European imperial state, and, at the same time, the most economically and socially advanced, politically liberal and religiously tolerant nation in Europe.

• Covers political, social, cultural, economic and religious history. Written by an international team of experts.
• Examines Britain's position from the perspective of other European nations.

From the Back Cover

This authoritative Companion to eighteenth-century Britain includes essays by nearly forty experts from the UK, Europe, the United States and Canada. It introduces students, teachers and general readers to the developments that led to Britain becoming a great world power, the leading European imperial state, and, at the same time, the most economically and socially advanced, politically liberal and religiously tolerant nation in Europe.

The volume examines political developments including the founding of the constitution and political system in 1688 and the development of the party political system. It describes economic and social developments in the towns and country which signalled the advent of 'modern' society and the cultural advances in the arts, philosophy and the press which greatly interested other European nations. The book also reminds readers that religion remained a powerful force and preoccupation throughout this period and covers the discussions over religious tolerance. There is also a section on the creation of the United Kingdom from England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland and the serious divisions that still remained. Finally, the book reveals how Britain became a world power, developing and then losing one empire in America but soon acquiring another in India.

This Companion is based on recent research and clearly presents the current state of knowledge and interpretation, demonstrating why this period has recently attracted new scholarly initiatives and historical enquiries.

Review Quotes

"This superb work by leading historian of the period provides a series of introductions to the most important themes for study. The authors bring the most up to date scholarship to bear in their work. Readable, sensible, perceptive and intelligent. If there is one book to use for this century, this is it."
Archives Book Reviews

"The accounts are succinct, very up-to-date and based upon regional as well as national evidence."
Northern History

"If this volume is any indication, the series will be successful. Dickinson has collected an array of prominent historians to digest and briefly discuss the trends in their respective fields. This is a collection of essays that most students will find exceptionally useful, and most faculty members will appreciate: Highly recommended."
Choice

About the Author

H. T. Dickinson is Richard Lodge Professor of British History at Edinburgh University. He is a former President of the Historical Association and a former Vice President of the Royal Historical Society. He has been a Visiting Professor at the University of Richmond. His numerous books include British Radicalism and the French Revolution 1789-1815 (1985), Caricatures and the Constitution 1760-1832 (1986) and The Politics of the People in Eighteenth-Century Britain (1995). He was also editor of the journal History from 1993 to 2000.