An Age of Transition

Britain’s foreign, economic and social policy changed direction markedly in the period 1880-1914. After the Third Reform Act of 1884, all political parties had to be, in some form or another, working class parties in order to survive, while the growing bureacratization of politics was one of the developments which weakened the role of Britain’s traditional political elite. This collection of essays attempts to cut into the period from different angles to open a cross-section of the types of changes taking place. The book includes pieces on Unionist Ireland, the role of gender in parliament, and the development of British socialism.