Rethinking the Age of Reform Britain 1780}}}1850 [Paperback]

Revisits Britain's much-studied 'age of reform', before and after the Great Reform Act of 1832.This book revisits Britain's much-studied 'age of reform', before and after the Great Reform Act of 1832, bringing together work by leading younger scholars. It shows that 'reformers' hoped to reform diverse institutions and practices - not only parliament, government, the law and the church but also, for example, medicine and the theatre. It focuses primarily on Britain, but also includes essays on Ireland, the Empire and continental Europe. A substantial introduction provides an overview of the period and of its historiography.This book revisits Britain's much-studied 'age of reform', before and after the Great Reform Act of 1832, bringing together work by leading younger scholars. It shows that 'reformers' hoped to reform diverse institutions and practices - not only parliament, government, the law and the church but also, for example, medicine and the theatre. It focuses primarily on Britain, but also includes essays on Ireland, the Empire and continental Europe. A substantial introduction provides an overview of the period and of its historiography.Combining the research of recognized young scholars, this book revisits Britain's much-studied age of reform , before and after the Great Reform Act of 1832. It demonstrates that reformers hoped to reform not only parliament, government, the law and the church, but also medicine and the theater, among other entities. While the study focuses primarily on Britain, it also includes essays on Ireland, the Empire and continental Europe. A substantial introduction provides an overview of the period and its historiography.Notes on contributors; Preface; List of abbreviations; 1. Introduction Joanna Innes and Arthur Burns; 2. 'Reform' in English public life: the fortunes of a word Joanna Innes; 3. Parliament, the state and 'old corruption': conceptualising reform, c. 17901832 Philip Harling; 4. 'Old wine in new bottles': the col³.