Politics and Trade in Britain, 1776-1914

This three volume collection presents a documentary-based history of British politics and commercial policy in the long nineteenth century. Starting from the theoretical breakthroughs of the late eighteenth century and their application to policy, the volumes encompass the rise and fall of free trade, and detail how the different dimensions of commercial policy influenced political ideas and the configuration of party politics. The disruptive tendencies and divisive nature of commercial policy was often aligned with broader divisions in philosophy and party politics, relating to individuals, classes and the nation, in terms of individual liberty and freedom, the responsibility of government to protect national sovereignty, and in maintaining economic balance and harmony within the nation. The three volumes begin with the publication of Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations and end with the fractious party politics which were brought to a temporary truce with the beginning of the First World War. This title will be of great interest to students and scholars of history and politics.