John Belchem

Popular Radicalism in Nineteenth-century Britain (Social History in Perspective (St Martins)) John Belchem

A wide-ranging overview of radicalism throughout the 'long' nineteenth century, from the days of 'Wilkes and Liberty' to the aftermath of the First World War, this study offers a critical introduction to new linguistic and cultural approaches. Radicalism is studied through a variety of perspectives: the history of ideas, the framework of popular culture and the pattern of political behaviour. Particular attention is accorded to the changing codes and conventions of political culture and public space, contextual factors which often divided liberals from radicals - and indeed radicals themselves - along what are best described as 'class' lines