From Castlereagh to Gladstone, 1815-1885

The Norton Library History of England

by Derek Beales

With the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815, Britain was again pre-eminent among the great powers, and was to remain so for the next seventy years. Her colonial empire was far more extensive than that of any other country; London was the financial capital of the world; she had the largest navy and mercantile marine, the chief share of the world's trade, the highest manufacturing production, and the most progressive agriculture. From Castlereagh to Gladstone is a fresh and stimulating appraisal of this brilliant period in Britain's history.

The age was characterized by an unprecedented rate of change and by extraordinary achievements both at home and abroad. Major legislative and institutional changes such as the three Reform Bills, the establishment of trade unions, and the Education Act of 1870 were enacted. Industrialization and urbanization advanced rapidly. It was a period of remarkable statesmen: Melbourne, Canning, Peel, Lord John Russell, Palmerston, and Benjamin Disraeli.

In each of the four sections of the book, Professor Beales presents a succinct narrative of events followed by discussion of particular topics, so that each aspect of the period is set within a clear narrative framework. He traces the main cultural trends and gives comprehensive coverage to all major economic, social, and political developments, providing a balanced survey of events in nineteenth-century Britain and the forces, people, and ideas that shaped them.

Genres: History

346 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1969

About the author

Derek Edward Dawson Beales, FBA, was educated at the University of Cambridge, where he gained a BA in 1953, an MA and a PhD in 1957. He was appointed a Fellow of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge in 1955 and a University Lecturer in History in 1965, which he held until 1980. He was then Professor of Modern History at Cambridge until 1997.

Beales was editor of The Historical Journal from 1971 until 1975. From 1984 until 1987 he was a member of the council of the Royal Historical Society. In 1989 he was elected a fellow of the British Academy.

Reviews

[Lauren Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's something to be said for big, fat histories. The short ones, unless they are narrowly focused, tend to be confusing because cursory. That is one of the flaws of this book. I found the brief overview of events that began each of the sections of the book too sketchy and didn't really help me put the rest of the section into context. The other problem is that the book was clearly written with someone different from me in mind--someone, that is, with a much better knowledge of 19th century English politics. None of these things is explained which added to my confusion. I gave it a "3" because for someone with that knowledge, it would probably have been a sparse but satisfactory overview.