Publisher's Synopsis
The first comprehensive and detailed study of the part played by religious issues in politics between 1869 and 1921, this is the successor to the author's earlier book on the same theme which covered the period 1832 to 1868.;From the Irish Disestablishment Act of 1869 to Welsh Disestablishment in 1920, the book explores the connection between Church and State, and related questions such as education and ritualism, burials and Church reform. As the century progressed ecclesiastical controversies diminished in importance, some issues were resolved and with the extension of the parliamentary franchise more attention was focused on social reform and the Churches themselves were weakening numerically, and becoming more interested in co-operation and union. Drawing extensively on original sources, the book examines the policies of parties, pressure groups and individuals in numerous disputes and general elections, and identifies the general trends which diminished the role of Church questions in politics.;This is a book for students of British and Irish political, ecclesiastical and social history in the 19th and 20th centuries.
