Revolution, Radicalism and Reform

Book excerpt: An engaging range of period texts and theme books for AS and A Level history. The years between the rise of William Pitt in the early 1780s and the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846 saw Britain struggle with political and social tensions caused by the economic changes that began in the mid-eighteenth century. Changes in attitudes towards who could vote, how the poor should be treated, how towns should be governed and how popular protest should be conducted led to confrontations between different segments of society. Yet Britain escaped revolution. Resistance, radicalism and reform. Richard Brown explores key issues which help explain these developments of the period.