This fully revised and updated edition of Norman McCord's authoritative introduction to nineteenth century British history has been extended to cover the period up to the outbreak of the First World War in 1914.

The nineteenth and early twentieth century saw the transformation of Britain from a predominantly rural to a largely urban society with an economy based upon manufacturing, finance, and trade, and from a society governed mainly by a landed aristocracy to what was increasingly a mass democracy. The authors chart the development of a modern state equipped with a large and expanding bureaucracy, the expansion of overseas territories into one of the world's greatest empires, and changes in
religion, social attitudes, and culture.

The book divides the era into four chronological periods, with chapters on the political background, administrative development, and social, economic, and cultural changes in each period. Exploring major themes such as the massive increase in population, the question of class, the scope of state activity, and the development of consumerism, leisure, and entertainment, and including a select bibliography and biographical appendix, this updated new edition provides the ultimate introduction to
British history between the end of the Napoleonic Wars and the outbreak of the First World War.

This is a study of the political, social, and economic history of Britain during the period 1815-1906. The nineteenth century saw the building of one of the world's greatest empires, the transformation of Britain from a predominantly rural society into the world's first industrial nation, and the development of a modern state equipped with a large and expanding bureaucracy. Norman McCord has marshalled the complex and abundant evidence to provide a lucid account of nineteenth-century British history. Within each of four chronological divisions - 1815-1830, 1830-1850, 1850-1880, and 1880-1906 - there are chapters on the political background, administrative development, and social and economic issues. He explores major themes such as the massive increase in population, the nature of class, and the scope of state activity. He includes a comprehensive bibliography and a bibliographical appendix, making this book an invaluable guide for all students of nineteenth-century British history.