Speaking for the People: Party, Language and Popular Politics in England, 1867-1914

by Jon Lawrence

Overview

Speaking for the People examines the popular appeal of Liberal, Tory and Labour politics between 1867 and 1914. The main theme of the book is a recognition, and exploration, of the problematic relationship between political parties and the people they sought to represent. The book challenges traditional ideas about the "triumph of party" after 1867, suggesting that politics remained much more fluid and unpredictable than historians have often allowed. It is this, the book suggests, that explains why politicians from most parties, including Labour, remained highly ambivalent about the likely consequences of further democratization.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521893664
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	05/09/2002
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.67(d)

Table of Contents

Preface; Abbreviations; Introduction; Part I. Rethinking Popular Politics: 1. From the rise of 'demos' to the rise of 'class'; 2. Working-class homogeneity reconsidered; 3. Relocating popular politics; Part II. A Local Study: Wolverhampton, c.1860–1914: 4. Liberal hegemony and its critics; 5. Popular Toryism and the origins of Labour politics; 6. Labour and the working class, 1890–1914; Part III. Party Games, 1885–1914: 7. Popular politics and the limitations of party; 8. The fall and the rise of popular Liberalism, 1886–1906; 9. Labour roots, Labour voices, Labour myths; Conclusion; Bibliography.

Editorial Reviews

"Lawrence's book is a work of exceptional clarity and penetration resting on a solid core of evidence.... Speaking for the People is accessible and thought-provoking, and as such can be confidently recommended to upper-division undergraduates and above." Choice

"Unlike many deconstructionist monographs, this book is readable and jargon-free." Don M. Cregier, Canadian Journal of History

"Jon Lawrence's richly historiographic study of popular politics in the late Victorian and Edwardian eras casts fresh light on the nature of popular politics in this transitional era of British politics." Derek W. Blakely, Albion

"a fine study which will help to shape a growing debate about popular politics" Victorian Studies

From the Publisher