Points of interest: Effects of Poor Law: Poor had had hardly any contact with Government at all, and harshness of new administration had important psychological effects - eg growth of Chartism, decline of Benthamism. Penny Post one reason for success of Anti-Corn-Law League. In 1850 Britain had £300m invested abroad, in 1870 £800m. Monarchy very unpopular in 1870-1. Then: Queen fell ill, Prince of Wales fell ill, recovered on anniversary of Prince Consort's death, Queen issued a personal letter of thanks for sympathy of people. Feb 1872: attempt to assassinate Queen. This all changed climate of opinion. Civil Service had 21,300 in 1832, 50,000 by 1880, 280,000 in 1914. Of Roosevelt's Four Freedoms, two - freedom of expression and of worship - are nineteenth-century Liberal; two - freedom from want and fear - are modern.
The arrangement into three periods of unequal length - 1815-1850; 1851-1874; 1874-1914 - seemed curious at first sight; but the author fully justifies it, without making the mistake of overstressing it as Myers did in his volume. An extremely able book, and quite as good as any other book in the same series. (notes written 1953 or 1954)
Effects of Poor Law: Poor had had hardly any contact with Government at all, and harshness of new administration had important psychological effects - eg growth of Chartism, decline of Benthamism.
Penny Post one reason for success of Anti-Corn-Law League.
In 1850 Britain had £300m invested abroad, in 1870 £800m.
Monarchy very unpopular in 1870-1. Then: Queen fell ill, Prince of Wales fell ill, recovered on anniversary of Prince Consort's death, Queen issued a personal letter of thanks for sympathy of people. Feb 1872: attempt to assassinate Queen. This all changed climate of opinion.
Civil Service had 21,300 in 1832, 50,000 by 1880, 280,000 in 1914.
Of Roosevelt's Four Freedoms, two - freedom of expression and of worship - are nineteenth-century Liberal; two - freedom from want and fear - are modern.
The arrangement into three periods of unequal length - 1815-1850; 1851-1874; 1874-1914 - seemed curious at first sight; but the author fully justifies it, without making the mistake of overstressing it as Myers did in his volume.
An extremely able book, and quite as good as any other book in the same series.
(notes written 1953 or 1954)