LIBERTY AND AUTHORITY IN VICTORIAN BRITAIN

Hardcover. Featuring a collection of essays by leading historians examining the balance between individual freedom and state control in 19th-century Britain, often seen as the peak of laissez-faire. The book challenges the notion that Victorians enjoyed unrestrained liberty, exploring how the state, law, church, and market shaped lives. It covers the Victorian state’s powers, comparative perspectives, and notions of liberty through liberalism, radicalism, and women’s experiences. Additional chapters address non-state authorities like law and religion, and disciplines such as market and moral forces. The essays reveal how liberty was not just a political ideal but a public and private philosophy structuring daily life across classes, genders, and regions, set in a global context. This nuanced study highlights the complex interplay of freedom and authority in a society navigating rapid change. With Notes and Index. 254pp. 8vo. h/back. As New in dw.