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.
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