The Social History of England

191 Pages·2018·1.576 MB·English

by  Padmaja Ashok

The Social History of England
For our entire range of books please use search strings “Orient
BlackSwan”, “Universities Press India” and “Permanent Black” in store.
The Social History of England
Padmaja Ashok
THE SOCIAL HISTORY OF ENGLAND
ORIENT BLACKSWAN PRIVATE LIMITED
Registered Office
3–6-752 Himayatnagar, Hyderabad 500 029, Telangana, India
e-mail: [email protected]
Other Offices
Bengaluru, Bhopal, Chennai, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata,
Lucknow, Mumbai, New Delhi, Noida, Patna, Visakhapatnam
© Orient Blackswan Private Limited 2011
First published 2011
Reprinted 2012 (four times), 2013, 2014, 2015 (three times), 2016 (two
times), 2017, 2018
Second edition 2018
eISBN 9789352876297
e-edition: First Published 2019
e-Pub Conversion: Textsoft Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including
photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without
the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief
quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses
permitted by copyright law. For permission requests write to the publisher.
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Lists of Maps and Genealogical Charts
Foreword
Preface
1 The Early History of England
1 The Early History of England
2 Tudor England (1485 to 1603)
3 The Renaissance
4 The Reformation and the Counter Reformation
5 The Stuart Age (1603 to 1649, 1660 to 1714)
6 Puritanism
7 Colonial Expansion
8 Restoration England (1660 to 1688): Social Life
9 The Age of Queen Anne (1702 to 1714)
10 Hanoverian England
11 The Industrial Revolution
12 The Agrarian Revolution
13 The Rise of Methodism
14 Humanitarian Movements
15 The American War of Independence (1775 to 1783)
16 The Effects of the French Revolution on British Life
17 England at the Beginning of the Nineteenth Century (1800 to 1837)
18 The Victorian Age (1837 to 1901)
19 The Reform Bills
20 The Development of Transport and Communication
21 The Development of Education in the Nineteenth Century
22 The Dawn of the Twentieth Century
23 Life Between the Two World Wars (1919 to 1939)
24 The Effects of World War II
25 Social Security and the Welfare State
26 The Effects of the Cold War
27 Life in the Sixties
28 Life in the Seventies
29 Life in the Eighties
30 Trade Unionism
31 The Origin and Growth of Political Parties in England
32 Life in the Nineties
33 England in the Twenty-first Century
Appendix I: The Rulers of England
Appendix II: The Prime Ministers of England
Appendix III: Glossary
List of Maps
1 The United Kingdom and its Neighbours
2 Voyages of the Renaissance Explorers
3 Colonies of the British Empire
4 Literary Map of Great Britain and Ireland
List of Genealogical Charts
1 The Norman Kings and the Plantagenet Family
2 Edward III’s Claim to the French Throne
3 The Houses of Lancaster and York
4 The Tudors
5 The House of Stuart
6 The Claim of the House of Hanover to the British Throne
7 The Houses of Hanover and Windsor
Foreword
Among the various countries of the world which have a hoary past and a rich
culture to feel proud of, Great Britain stands supreme. The language of Great
Britain is now the language of the world. English is the language of
commerce, industry and science. More than all, it is perhaps most profound in
its literature, right from the time of King Alfred to our day. We have sound
literary histories which offer us chronological accounts of literary creations
spanning such a large period as thirteen centuries.
The social history of any nation is an independent discipline most useful
for promoting literary scholarship. It supplies us with a knowledge of the past
and a glimpse into the future. Literature and society are linked to each other
in ever so many ways. A knowledge of the one enhances an understanding of
the other. Literature is a social establishment. The social history of England is
dazzlingly rich and variegated, full of rewards for an avid student of English
literature.
Times have changed. English studies do not mean the study of the narrow
confines of British territory only anymore. Horizons have broadened with the
proliferation of newer and yet newer areas of study seeking inclusion in this
widening spectrum of literary knowledge. A sound knowledge of the social
and intellectual background of English history is of utmost necessity, as it is
meant to supply the most essential foundations. With greater focus on what
has come to occupy central attention in critical studies, New Historicism,
history and literature seem to be inextricably bound to each other. Nay, the
two are one and the same.
There are not many scholarly resources available to our Indian students at
the advanced beginner level. It is here that the present volume The Social
History of England fills the gap and fulfils the want. The book covers the
period 500 BCE to 2018. It is the outcome of Dr Padmaja Ashok’s long