A History of Modern Britain

Now available in a fully-revised and updated second edition, A History of Modern Britain: 1714 to the Present provides a comprehensive survey of the social, political, economic and cultural history of Great Britain from the Hanoverian succession to the present day. Places Britain in a global context, charting the rise and fall of the British empire and the influence of imperialism on the social, economic, and political developments of the home country Includes revised sections on imperialism and the industrial revolution that have been updated to reflect recent scholarship, a more reflective view on New Labour since its demise, and an all new section on the performance of the Conservative Lib/Dem coalition that came into office in 2010 Features illustrations, maps, an up-to-date bibliography, a full list of Prime Ministers, a genealogy of the royal family, and a comprehensive glossary explaining uniquely British terms, acronyms, and famous figures Spans topics as diverse as the slave trade, the novels of Charles Dickens, the Irish Potato Famine, the legalization of homosexuality, coalmines in South Wales, Antarctic exploration, and the invention of the computer Includes extensive reference to historiography

Now available in a fully-revised and updated second edition, A History of Modern Britain: 1714 to the Present provides a comprehensive survey of the social, political, economic and cultural history of Great Britain from the Hanoverian succession to the present day.* Places Britain in a global context, charting the rise and fall of the British empire and the influence of imperialism on the social, economic, and political developments of the home country* Includes revised sections on imperialism and the industrial revolution that have been updated to reflect recent scholarship, a more reflective view on New Labour since its demise, and an all new section on the performance of the Conservative - Lib/Dem coalition that came into office in 2010* Features illustrations, maps, an up-to-date bibliography, a full list of Prime Ministers, a genealogy of the royal family, and a comprehensive glossary explaining uniquely British terms, acronyms, and famous figures* Spans topics as diverse as the slave trade, the novels of Charles Dickens, the Irish Potato Famine, the legalization of homosexuality, coalmines in South Wales, Antarctic exploration, and the invention of the computer* Includes extensive reference to historiography

List of Figures ixList of Tables xiiiList of Maps xivList of Biographies xvPreface xviAcknowledgments xxiiPart I Uniting the Kingdoms 1Chapter 1: The British Isles in 1714 3Chapter 2: A New Beginning, 1714-62 41Chapter 3: War and Revolution, 1763-1814 71Part II The British Century 99Chapter 4: A United Kingdom, 1815 101Chapter 5: Reform, 1816-41 138Chapter 6: Imperial Britain, 1842-84 167Chapter 7: New Century, 1885-1913 201Part III Dividing the Kingdoms 233Chapter 8: The United Kingdom, 1914 235Chapter 9: War and Peace and War, 1915-39 264Chapter 10: The Warfare and Welfare State, 1940-79 297Chapter 11: "New" Britain, 1980-2014 333The Transformation of Britain 1688-1713 000Available online at: wiley.com/go/wassonNotes 365Chronology 390Glossary 395Bibliography 403List of Prime Ministers 412Genealogy of the Royal Family 415Index 417