A History of English Political Thought in the Nineteenth Century

During the nineteenth century political discourse ceased to be the exclusive preserve of lawyers and philosophers, and was conducted by poets, critics, historians and scientists. Byron, Shelley, Matthew Arnold, Henry Sidgwick and Herbert Spencer competed with Bentham and John Stuart Mill. Historians and scientific writers made a vigorous attempt to overturn classical political philosophy and replace it with empirically-based knowledge. This book presents a comprehensive account of the most important figures and movements in the years 1800-1900, exploring the ideas of constitutional writers, literary radicals, Whigs, Tories, cultural aesthetes, evolutionists and socialists. Chapter-length appraisals are given of individuals ranging from Coleridge to Carlyle. The first comprehensive study of its kind, it will be invaluable alike to specialists and students working in nineteenth-century history and literature, Victorian studies and the history of political science.