Private Lives, Public Spirit: A Social History of Britain, 1870-1914.

Abstract

Part 1 Themes and interpretations - an overview of British 1870-1914: continuity and change the impact of empire the emergence of individualism and collectivism from ancient constitution to great the nationalization of culture gender modernity and the lost domain paradox and plurality Victorians and Edwardians. Part 2 Demography, death and disease: people and cities patterns of fertility patterns of mortality society, sickness and medicine. Part 3 Family and household: the Victorian family family size and structure domestic economy patriarchalism motherhood childhood sexual relations family life. Part 4 Property: perceptions of property the distribution of property aristocratic property middle-class property working-class property property and politics. Part 5 Work: work and gentility structure, skill and organization alienation, leisure and the work ethic industrial relations work and the working class culture and context. Part 6 Religion: the issue of secularization the sociology of church attendance the churches and civic structure the structure of belief religion and society. Part 7 Society and the state: the bases of the state the mid-Victorian state changing political culture contradiction and expansion finance, bureaucracy and policy crime, law and police ambiguities of power. Part 8 Society and theory: the of society atomism, organicism and evolution historicism and idealism theory and the social problem the language of race perceptions ofpoverty decay and degeneration society, liberty and character - echoes of Greece and Rome.