British Politics in the Age of AnneBritish Politics in the Age of Anne is a book that anyone with an interest in the period will wish to possess: completely authoritative, yet as attractive to the student and the general reader as to the specialist. The author has both revised the text and written a substantial new introduction to this edition. Geoffrey Holmes reveals how little the structure and contents of politics under Queen Anne had in common with the connexion-ridden scene of the mid-eighteenth century, as portrayed by Namier. He depicts a period of fierce and genuine party conflict, in which society at many levels was divided by great issues of principle and policy. Through frequent and hotly-contested elections and long parliamentary campaigns both Whigs and Tories enjoyed triumphs and suffered disasters. And while struggling against one another, each had to contend with internal factions and pressure-groups, the divisive thrust of personal ambitions and the hostility of the queen to single party rule. British Politics in the Age of Anne is more than a major work of analysis and a historiographical landmark. By liberal use of quotation, eye for detail, sense of atmosphere and vivid character sketches of both leading and lesser personae, Professor Holmes recreates the unique political life of the high Augustan age. |
Contents
ix | |
PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION | lxvii |
A NOTE ON DATES AND QUOTATIONS | lxxi |
ABBREVIATIONS | lxxiii |
INTRODUCTION | 1 |
The Character of Politics | 11 |
The Working of Politics | 183 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
age of Anne Anglesey Anne's reign Arthur Mainwaring Auchmar B.M. Loan backbenchers baron bill Bishop Blenheim MSS Bodl Bolingbroke borough Bromley Burnet Cabinet Church Corr Country Whigs Court Whig Cowper Crown debate diary division Duchess of Marlborough Duke Earl Election electoral England favour friends George Godolphin H.M.C. Bath MSS H.M.C. Portland MSS Hanoverian Harley's Harleyites High Tory House of Commons House of Lords Ibid influence interest Jacobite James July June land leaders least Letters London Longleat majority Managers ministers ministry never Newcastle Nottingham Occasional Conformity organisation Oxford Parliament parliamentary peace peers pension period political politicians principles Queen Anne's Revolution Robert Harley Robert Walpole Rochester Sacheverell Scottish Sept session Shrewsbury Sir John Somers Stanhope succession Sunderland Thomas Tory party vote Walcott Walpole Wentworth Papers Wharton Whig and Tory Whig Junto William III's