Ian Bradley's The Optimists was first published in 1980, when the values of Victorian Liberalism were enjoying something of a renaissance - as they are today. Politicians of different parties were once again expounding the Gladstonian principles of public economy, self-help, European unity and home rule for the constituent parts of the United Kingdom. This book examines the nature and development of these ideas. It traces their origins in the Romantic movement, the industrial revolution and the general European Liberal ...
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Ian Bradley's The Optimists was first published in 1980, when the values of Victorian Liberalism were enjoying something of a renaissance - as they are today. Politicians of different parties were once again expounding the Gladstonian principles of public economy, self-help, European unity and home rule for the constituent parts of the United Kingdom. This book examines the nature and development of these ideas. It traces their origins in the Romantic movement, the industrial revolution and the general European Liberal awakening of the mid-nineteenth century and charts their collapse in the face of the predominance of class attitudes and the increasingly bitter clash of capital and labour at the end of the century. During its heyday, from the mid-1850s to the mid-1880s, Liberalism attracted many eminent Victorians, including leading literary figures like Anthony Trollope, George Meredith and William Makepeace Thackeray, as well as philosophers like John Stuart Mill, Lord Acton, Richard Cobden, John Bright, T. H. Green, and, of course, W. E. Gladstone. Using a mass of evidence, from novels, unpublished letters and autobiographical writings as well as from contemporary speeches and biographies, Ian Bradley has built up a picture of the complex and often conflicting forces which made men espouse the Gladstonian creed. He isolates the different strands in the Victorian Liberal Movement, the thrust and competitiveness of up-and-coming merchants and manufacturers, the love of liberty felt by rationalists and romantics alike, and the stern imperatives of the Nonconformist Conscience. He concludes that for all their differences and inconsistencies, Victorian Liberals were bound together by an all-pervasive sense of optimism and a fundamental faith in the goodness of man and the reality of progress.
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Good. No Dustjacket. All orders are dispatched within 1 working day from our UK warehouse. Established in 2004, we are dedicated to recycling unwanted books on behalf of a number of UK charities who benefit from added revenue through the sale of their books plus huge savings in waste disposal. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied.
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Good. Ships from UK in 48 hours or less (usually same day). Your purchase helps support Sri Lankan Children's Charity 'The Rainbow Centre'. Ex-library, so some stamps and wear, but in good overall condition. 100% money back guarantee. We are a world class secondhand bookstore based in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom and specialize in high quality textbooks across an enormous variety of subjects. We aim to provide a vast range of textbooks, rare and collectible books at a great price. Our donations to The Rainbow Centre have helped provide an education and a safe haven to hundreds of children who live in appalling conditions. We provide a 100% money back guarantee and are dedicated to providing our customers with the highest standards of service in the bookselling industry.
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Poor. Tired dust jacket, with nicks, wear, marks, scratches and fading. Some bumps, marks, scratches, wear and fading to hard board. Marks/fading to text blocks. Text good but some occasional pen referencing at margins. 301 p.
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F in F- jacket. F/F-8vo. original orange textured paper boards in dustwrapper (a trifle rubbed, small label ghost to front panel); pp. 302 (last blank). A near fine copy.
