Publisher's Synopsis
These essays deal with aspects of politics in the age of aristocratic oligarchy from the late 17th to the 19th centuries. They elucidate a precedent that saved the Reform Bill in 1832; treat Britain's efforts to rule 18th-century Ireland, (and surging British patriotism) as real but not extreme; and examine several aspects of parliamentary reform through the courts and by carefully managed rioting.Municipal reform provided a major impetus to the reform of parliament, and when carried enhanced its impact, as this collection shows. However, the book also explores how Corn Law reform in 1846 owed more to the ambitions of some peers and the consciences of others than to a newly-empowered public opinion. Food also played a part in politics as shown by the evolution of the political dinner, examined in the final essay.Published as a special issue of the journal Parliamentary History (24:3)
