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Crowds and Popular Politics in Early Modern England
Early modern England was marked by profound changes in economy, society, politics and religion. It is widely believed that the poverty and discontent which these changes often caused resulted in major rebellion and frequent 'riots'. Whereas the politics of the people have often been described as a 'many-headed monster'; spasmodic and violent, and the only means by which the people could gain expression in a highly hierarchical society and a state that denied them a political voice, the essays in this collection argue for the inherently political nature of popular protest through a series of studies of acts of collective protest, up to and including the English Revolution.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
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June 11, 2025
Beware, academic at work. This means this book is not for the casual reader but those who like history enough to take on challenges including coming across words not encountered before and awkward concepts such as "exchange-entitlements", or "the harvest-sensitive model".
This book has to be read slowly, one chapter at a time to extract enjoyment or at least, the presentation of some interesting angles on disorder, dearth, reactions to famine and food shortages and why England apparently did not suffer as much as other nations in Europe in terms of civil strife, riot and rebellion. Indeed, the English poor, both in towns and rural places, might be starving but their extreme hunger, poor diet, and lack of certainty about paid employment, seemingly did not cause them to rush to rebellion whenever there was a famine or two in successive years. No, it seems , the poor were patient, and usually respected those in authority and were ever hopeful that those in local control would come up with solutions, since the powers that be were in constant fear at the thought of their world being turned upside down. This threat of disorder and disturbance to the order of society in most English locations was sufficient for local officials to nip in the bud activity leading to disorder and in relatively rare cases, of riot.
Clearly Walter knows his subject in fine detail. And has copious notes on his sources that stretch over many pages. But like many academic works the author examines concepts from all angles and is given to probing too deep. Walter has many references to further research being required on specific matters (presumably more work in his direction?). This level of detail can be a bit overwhelming. For example Walter throws into the mix the beneficial effect of grumbling in the alehouse as a way of letting off steam before discontent turns to public violence.
The best parts of this book are when Walter is recounting words and actions by real people. He is less effective in terms of readability when over-dabbling in concepts and generalities. Overall it is a difficult read. It is likely to be ranked 4 or 5 by an academic or 2 or 3 when read by the general reader.
This book has to be read slowly, one chapter at a time to extract enjoyment or at least, the presentation of some interesting angles on disorder, dearth, reactions to famine and food shortages and why England apparently did not suffer as much as other nations in Europe in terms of civil strife, riot and rebellion. Indeed, the English poor, both in towns and rural places, might be starving but their extreme hunger, poor diet, and lack of certainty about paid employment, seemingly did not cause them to rush to rebellion whenever there was a famine or two in successive years. No, it seems , the poor were patient, and usually respected those in authority and were ever hopeful that those in local control would come up with solutions, since the powers that be were in constant fear at the thought of their world being turned upside down. This threat of disorder and disturbance to the order of society in most English locations was sufficient for local officials to nip in the bud activity leading to disorder and in relatively rare cases, of riot.
Clearly Walter knows his subject in fine detail. And has copious notes on his sources that stretch over many pages. But like many academic works the author examines concepts from all angles and is given to probing too deep. Walter has many references to further research being required on specific matters (presumably more work in his direction?). This level of detail can be a bit overwhelming. For example Walter throws into the mix the beneficial effect of grumbling in the alehouse as a way of letting off steam before discontent turns to public violence.
The best parts of this book are when Walter is recounting words and actions by real people. He is less effective in terms of readability when over-dabbling in concepts and generalities. Overall it is a difficult read. It is likely to be ranked 4 or 5 by an academic or 2 or 3 when read by the general reader.
Displaying 1 of 1 review