Synopses & Reviews
The Glorious Revolution of 1688-9 was a decisive moment in England's history; an invading Dutch army forced James II to flee France, and his son-in-law and daughter, William and Mary, were crowned as joint sovereigns. The wider consequences were no less startling: war in Ireland, union with Scotland, Jacobite intrigue, deep involvement in two major European wars, Britain's emergence as a great power, a 'financial revolution', greater religious toleration, a riven Church, and the rapid growth of parliamentary government.
Such changes were only part of the transformation of English society at the time. A torrent of new ideas from such figures as Newton, Defoe, and Addison, spread through newspapers, periodicals, and coffee-houses, provided new views and values that some embraced and others loathed. England's horizons were also growing, especially in the Caribbean and American colonies. For many, however, the benefits were uncertain: the slave trade flourished, inequality widened, and the poor and 'disorderly' were increasingly subject to strictures and statutes. If it was an age of prospects it was also one of anxieties.
This new text provides a truly general overview of England between the Glorious Revolution and the death of George I and Newton. Part of the New Oxford History of England series, it is a wide ranging survey that combines the rich secondary literature with extensive primary research. It looks at politics, religion, economy, society, and culture and seeks to place England in its British, European, and world contexts. It includes an annotated bibliography and will prove invaluable to a wide range of students of the period.
Synopsis
This book provides an authoritative general view of England between the Glorious Revolution and the death of George I and Isaac Newton. It is a very wide ranging survey, looking at politics, religion, economy, society, and culture. It also places England in its British, European, and world contexts. An annotated bibliography provides a guide through a vast minefield of secondary literature.
Table of Contents
England after the Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution and the Revolution Constitution
The Facts of Life
A Bloody Progress
The Political World of William III
Wars of Words and the Battle of the Books
Faith and Fervour
England, Britain, Empire
The Political World of Queen Anne
Profits, Progress and Projects
The Wealth of the Country
The Political World of George I
Urban and Urbane
An Ordered Society
Epilogue
Chronology
Bibliography
Index