The Forging of the Modern State: Early Industrial Britain, 1783-1870 (FMB) [Hardcover]

Eric J. Evans (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 3, 1983 | ISBN-10: 0582489695 | ISBN-13: 978-0582489691

This famous book surveys every aspect of the period in which Britain was transformed into the world's first industrial power. It was an era of revolutionary change unparalleled in Britain - yet that change was achieved without political revolution. This combination of revolution and transition is a central theme of the book. This major new edition is fully revised to take account of recent scholarship and fresh perspectives on the period. The recasting of Part Two (on the industrial revolution and its consequences) has been particularly extensive; the bibliography has been enlarged and brought up to date; and there is increased emphasis on British as opposed to English perspectives throughout.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Evans's elegant and fluent treatment of the topics within his chosen period is often quite superb.' Times Educational Supplement, "This text continues to serve undergraduate students well and compares favourably with any survey of this kind. Working in a period dense with complexity and contradiction, Evans has conveyed a coherent and lucid account of the times. To this he has added a blend of interpretation leavened by recent scholarship that he treats both fairly and yet critically. All of this is couched in a prose that sparkles with deft turns of phrase and provocative insights. This is a welcome addition to bookshelves." "Albion" --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Back Cover

'Evans's elegant and fluent treatment is quite superb.' Times Educational Supplement In this hugely ambitious and wide-ranging history of Britain, Eric Evans surveys a period in which Britain was transformed into the world's first industrial, while the foundations of the largest empire the world had seen were also being securely laid. This was an era of unprecedented political crisis, economic opportunity and social upheaval unparalleled in Britain, yet one during which transformation was achieved without revolution. The unique and potent combination of transition and transformation is a major theme in this book.   The book ranges ranges across key political, diplomatic, social, cultural, economic and religious themes in a series of short, lively chapters whose purpose is to convey the overall drama of hectic change which stopped well short of political revolution.  Britain was still ruled by wealthy landonwners in 1870 as it had been in 1783.  The world over which they presided, however, had been transformed utterly.  It had become an urban, industrial and commercial society, a change achieved without revolution.  [Evans examines whether their success in doing so was due more to good management than good fortune.] This new edition includes a new and revisionist introductory chapter and a thoroughly updated bibliography.  The book appears with illustrations for the first time. Eric J. Evans is Professor of History at Lancaster University and the author of a number of seminal books on the political and social history of eighteenth and nineteenth century Britain.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 476 pages
• Publisher: Longman (October 3, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0582489695
• ISBN-13: 978-0582489691
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,342,213 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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4.0 out of 5 stars A good manual, April 28, 2010

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This review is from: The Forging of the Modern State: Early Industrial Britain, 1783-1870 (3rd Edition) (Paperback)

Evans's Forging of the Modern State is not controversial history, except insofar as it is driven by socio-economic causes that have become old-fashioned. The title says it all, with early industrial Britain having been the background for the forging of a modern political system, over a span of eighty or so years. Most contemporary historians would reject both such a directional interpretation and its materialistic premise. Indeed, Evans adopts a plain style that is far from the more sophisticated categorisations, based on religion and culture, one finds in a Clark or a Hilton. But Evans makes his choices plain in the introduction, which includes interesting historiographical information. He stands by his approach. And the result is an easy to read, manual-style narrative that is perfect for students and non-initiates alike. Fittingly, the appendix contains a useful compendium of information, with such things as maps, economic tables, and cabinet lists, in addition to the chronologies provided in earlier chapters.