The middle of the nineteenth century saw a Liberal ascendancy, with Liberal governments under Palmerston and Gladstone in power almost continuously. Gladstone in particular dominated politics in this period; free trade became an article of faith, and Liberal governments pursued peace, retrenchment and reform. The franchise was extended again, and discrimination against nonconformists the backbone of Liberal support steadily removed.
History (21)
Biographies (12)
Journals (1)
Journal articles (22)
Books (5)
Meetings (5)
Archives: libraries (4)
Archives: individuals (1)
PhD theses (57)
Research (1)
History
A concise history of the Liberal Party, SDP and Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are the successors to two important reformist traditions in British politics - those of liberalism and of social democracy, which became separated from each other in the early p...
A Torrent of Gin and Beer: The Election Defeat in 1874
In January 1874, the Prime Minister, William Ewart Gladstone, approached the queen to dissolve parliament, surprising both the opposition and his own party. In his election manifesto, Gladstone promi...
Chamberlain on the Radical Programme
First speech on the Unauthorised Programme by Joseph Chamberlain
...
Chamberlains Radical Programme
Joseph Chamberlain, the Birmingham manufacturer, took up full time politics in the 1870s. As mayor of Birmingham he built his reputation by successfully importing business methods into local governme...
Extract from Gladstones 3rd Midlothian speech on foreign policy
Following his electoral defeat in 1874, Gladstone resigned the Liberal leadership and, in his sixties, hoped to spend the rest of his life in retirement. The Balkan Massacres of 1876 drew him back to...
Gladstonian Liberalism
Few statesmen left a deeper and more permanent mark on British Liberalism than William Ewart Gladstone (1809-1898). What secured a unique place for him in the history of Liberalism was not simply the...
Hawarden Kite
In November 1885 the Irish Nationalist leader, Charles Stewart Parnell proposed an independent constitution for Ireland and although the Liberal leader, William Gladstone, believed in the necessity o...
John Stuart Mill On Liberty
Chapter IV Of the Limits to the Authority of Society over the Individual ...
Joseph Chamberlain and Municipal Liberalism
The reforms in municipal services that Joseph Chamberlain introduced during his three-year mayoralty of Birmingham in the mid-1870s marked a turning point for British Liberalism as well as in the gov...
Lib-Labs
The first working class representatives within Parliament were known as "Lib-Lab" MPs. They accepted the Liberal whip while exercising the right to utilise their experience to speak freely ...
Nonconformists
The Nonconformists were members of several Protestant groups outside the Church of England. They included in their ranks the Old Dissenters, denominations that went back to the seventeenth century. T...
Personal account of the meeting in Willis Rooms
The following letter from Sidney Herbert to his wife is a personal account of the meeting that took place at Willis' Rooms in St James Street, London on the 6th June 1859, when the Liberal Party...
The Age of Russell and Palmerston , 1846-1868
The collapse of Sir Robert Peel's Conservative government, following the 1846 repeal of the Corn Laws, began a complex re-arrangement of British political parties; one that took more than a deca...
The Home Rule crisis
Shortly after Gladstones second government had seen the third reform act safely onto the statute book in 1885, it suffered a defeat on the budget and resigned. Lord Salisbury formed a minority Conser...
The Liberals and Ireland since 1801
Underneath the surface of this [Irish question], and wrapped up in it, are nearly all the controversies of principle which will agitate the political atmosphere of our time. It is a microcosm of the ...
The Liberals in Opposition 1875-1880
At the beginning of 1875, following his defeat by Disraeli in the 1874 general election, Gladstone resigned the leadership of the Liberal party, convincing himself that at the age of 65 he deeply des...
The Newcastle Programme
The general election of 1885 was the first fought on the enlarged franchise of the third reform act and the first in which the parties competed for the votes of large numbers of agricultural workers....
Times report on the meeting in Willis Rooms
The following report from The Times describes the meeting that took place at Willis' Rooms in St James Street, London on the 6th June 1859, when the Liberal Party was finally formed. ...
John Stuart Mill on votes for women
'We ought not to deny to them, what we are conceding to everybody else' - House of Commons, 20 May 1867 ...
Remember The Rights of The Savage
Following his electoral defeat in 1874, Gladstone resigned the Liberal leadership and, in his sixties, hoped to spend the rest of his life in retirement. The Balkan Massacres of 1876 drew him back to...
Great Liberals
John Stuart Mill chosen as greatest British Liberal ...
Biographies
Biography of Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman
Campbell-Bannerman, Sir Henry
Biography of William Ewart Gladstone
Gladstone, William Ewart
Biography of Sir William Harcourt
Harcourt, Sir William
Biography of Duke of Devonshire Marquess of Hartington
Hartington, Marquess of (Duke of Devonshire)
Biography of 3rd Viscount Palmerston
Palmerston, Viscount
Biography of Lord John Russell
Russell, Lord John
Biography of John Bright
Bright, John
Biography of Thomas, Hill Green
Green, Thomas Hill
Biography of John Stuart Mill
Mill, John Stuart
Biography of Charles Bradlaugh
Bradlaugh, Charles
Biography of Joseph Chamberlain
Chamberlain, Joseph
Biography of Forster
Forster, William Edward
Journal
Journal of Liberal Democrat History 20 - Special issue: William Ewart Gladstone 1809-98
Journal articles
Gladstone and the Conservative collapse
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 53 ')
Analysis of the article on The Conservative Collapse in the Fortnightly Review of 1 May 1880, published anonymously but written by Gladstone
Gladstonian Liberalism according to Gladstone
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 52 ')
What were the prevailing principles of the Liberal Party in the late Victorian period?
Dishing the Whigs in Winchester
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 53 ')
The impact of electoral reform in the nineteenth century on elections in Winchester.
William Digby and the Indian Question
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 58 ')
The first secretary of the National Liberal Club was also a radical political organiser and agitator for India. Examination of his activities.
John Stuart Mill: Liberal father of feminism
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 62 - special issue: Women and Liberalism ')
Exploration of how Liberalism and feminism meet powerfully in the life and work of John Stuart Mill.
David and Maggie
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 63 ')
Diaries and correspondence files are used to examine the courtship between David Lloyd George and Margaret Owen between 1884 and their marriage in 1888.
Out of Chartism, into Liberalism?
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 67 ')
Popular radicals and the Liberal Party in mid-Victorian Britain.
Gladstone, Marx and modern progressives
(from journal ' Liberal Democrat History Group Newsletter 8 ')
Examination of the relationship between Karl Marx and William Ewart Gladstone, between revolutionary Marxism and reformist Gladstonian Liberalism.
Origins of the party
(from journal ' Liberal Democrat History Group Newsletter 4 ')
Review of John Vincent, The Formation of the British Liberal Party 1857-68
The high summer of Victorian Liberalism
(from journal ' Liberal Democrat History Group Newsletter 5 ')
Review of Ian Bradley, The Optimists
The Liberal Party and womens suffrage, 1866-1918
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 62 - special issue: Women and Liberalism ')
Analysis of the relationship between the Liberal Party and the campaigns for womens suffrage.
Celebrating 1859: Party, Patriotism and Liberal Values
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 65 ')
On 6 June 1859, 280 Whig, Liberal, former Peelite and radical MPs met at Willis's Rooms in King Street, St. James's. They gathered to agree on a strategy to oust Lord Derby's Conservative government from office. Angus Hawkins analyses the significance of this key event in Liberal history.
Sir Edward Watkin and the Liberal cause in the nineteenth century
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 55 ')
The life of Liberal MP Edward Watkin, the last of the railway kings.
Victorian Liberals
(from journal ' Liberal Democrat History Group Newsletter 3 ')
Review of Jonathan Parry, The Rise and Fall of Liberal Government in Victorian Britain
A 'sincere, thorough and hearty Liberal'?
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 52 ')
Biography of Jabez Balfour, 1843-1916
Dizzy and the Grand Old Man
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 58 ')
Review of Richard Aldous, The Lion and the Unicorn: Gladstone vs Disraeli
Report: The strange birth of Liberal England
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 64 ')
Report on a joint meeting of the History Group and the National Liberal Club on 20 July 2009, with Professor Anthony Howe, David Steel (Lord Steel of Aikwood) and Ros Scott (Baroness Scott of Needham Market).
George Jacob Holyoake
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 67 ')
Examination of how the life of Holyoake exemplified the development of popular Liberalism.
Greatest of the Liberal philosophers
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 60 ')
Review of Richard Reeves, John Stuart Mill, Victorian Firebrand.
Promoting progress everywhere
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 59 ')
Review of Jonathan Parry, The Politics of Patriotism: English Liberalism, National Identity and Europe 1830-1886.
British Liberalism and Irish Nationalism
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 59 ')
Review of Eugenio Biagini, British Democracy and Irish Nationalism, 1876-1906.
Gladstone 200
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 63 ')
The Gladstone 200 Campaign at St Deiniol's Library.
Books
The Rise and Fall of British Liberalism 1776-1988
From the American Revolution to merger. Was the decline of Liberalism in the twentieth century inevitable?
British Liberalism: Liberal thought from the 1640s to 1980s
Extracts from Liberal thinkers from John Milton to the community politicians.
An Intelligent Person's Guide to Liberalism
The evolution of Liberal philosophy from the seventeenth century to the present. Essential reading.
The Optimists
The ideological perspective of Victorian Liberalism.
Gladstone 1809-1898
Gladstone dominated Victorian politics and is well served by this modern biography from the editor of the Gladstone Diaries.
Meetings
A celebration and exploration of aspects of the life, career and thought of John Stuart Mill
Saturday 14 November 2009
In 1859, the philosopher and leading liberal theorist of Victorian Britain, John Stuart Mill, published his most important and enduring work On Liberty. In this essay Mill set out the principle, sti...
The strange birth of Liberal England
Monday 20 July 2009
One hundred and fifty years ago, on the 6 June 1859, at Willis Rooms in St James, Westminster, Radical, Peelite and Whig Members of Parliament met to formalise their Parliamentary coalition to oust t...
Civil liberties in war and peace
Monday 24 January 2005
Law and order has long been a major issue in British politics.
...
The Legacy of Gladstone
Monday 20 July 1998
In the centenary year of Gladstones death, this meeting looked at three crucial aspects of the life of the most famous Liberal Prime Minister.
...
The Legacy of Gladstone
Wednesday 26 June 1996
Colin Matthew joint editor of the Gladstone Diaries; author of the definitive biographies, Gladstone 1809-1874 and Gladstone 1875-1898; Editor, Dictionary of National Biography.
...
Archives: libraries
Hull University Archives
The University of Hull's Brynmor Jones Library (BJL) has been collecting political archives and manuscripts ever since the foundation of the university, initially ...
archive url: http://www.hull.ac.uk/arc/
Manchester Archives and Local Studies
Liberal History Archives at Manchester Archives and Local Studies ...
archive url: http://www.manchester.gov.uk/libraries/arls/
National Library of Scotland
Sources in the Manuscripts Division of the National Library of Scotland for the study of the Liberals and Liberal Democrats ...
archive url: http://www.nls.uk/
National Library of Wales
Liberal Party Archives at the National Library of Wales ...
archive url: http://www.llgc.org.uk/
Archives: individuals
Temple, Henry John (third Viscount Palmerston)
Palmerston's papers at the Hartley Library, University of Southampton ...
archive url: http://www.southampton.ac.uk/archives/
PhD theses
Aspects of Liberal Unionist Party organisation, 1886-1895
Manchester M.A , 1973
Aspects of Sheffield Liberalism, 1849-86
Sheffield Ph.D. , 1972
Chartism and liberalism: popular politics in Leicestershire, 1842-74
Manchester Ph.D. , 1991
Electoral politics in Berwick-upon-Tweed, 1832-85
Supervisor - Mr. Alan J. Heesom
Durham, M.Phil , 2002
Gladstone and Liberalism: the political development of W.E. Gladstone, 1845-59
Leicester Ph.D. , 1981
Gladstone and whiggery: a study in Liberal leadership and politics, 1874-86
Cambridge Ph.D. , 1984
Gladstone, Irish nationalism and the Home Rule question, 1882-93, with particular reference to the Ulster problem
Trinity College Dublin Ph.D. , 1984
Irish land reform and English Liberal politics, 1865-70
Cambridge Ph.D. , 1970
John Stuart Mill and freedom of expression
Supervisor - Professor Fred Rosen
London, Ph.D , 2000
John Stuart Mill and male support for the Victorian women's movement
Supervisor - Professor John W. Burrow
Oxford, D.Phil , 1996
John Stuart Mill, George Jacob Holyoake and the 'social question': themes of continuity in mid 19th-century radicalism and socialism
Supervisor - Dr. Gareth Stedman Jones
Cambridge, Ph.D , 1996
Liberal and Labour politics in two Northumberland mining constituencies, 1885-1924
Council for National Academic Awards M.Phil. , 1989
Liberalism against democracy: a study of the life, thought and work of Robert Lowe, to 1867
Supervisor, Dr Simon J D Green
Leeds University , 2007
Liberalism and sociology: L.T. Hobhouse and political argument in England, 1880-1914
Cambridge Ph.D. , 1977
Liberals and the Home Rule issue, November 1885 - July 1886: the leaders and the rank and file, with special reference to certain localities
Cambridge Ph.D. , 1988
Lord Rosebery and Scottish Nationalism 1868-1896
Edinburgh Ph.D. , 1996
Millicent Garrett Fawcett, 1867-94: 'an excellent guerrilla partisan'?
York, MA , 1998
Mr. Gladstone's leadership of the parliamentary Liberal Party, 1868-74
Oxford D.Phil. , 1961
Popular liberalism in the English counties, 1885-1906
Supervisor - Mr. John M. Prest
Oxford D.Phil. , 1997
Radicalism and reform in Burnley, 1842-70
Supervisor - Dr. Iorwerth J. Prothero
Manchester, Ph.D , 1997
Real Liberals and Conservatives in the City of London, 1848-86
Supervisors - Mr. A. William Purdue and Mr. John M. Golby
Open University, Ph.D , 1997
Scotland and the Liberal Party, 1880-1900, church, Ireland and Empire: a family affair
Glasgow M.Litt. , 1978
Sir Jerom Murch: case study of a Unitarian liberal and his impact on the Bath community, 1833-95
Supervisor - Dr. David Brooke
Bath, Ph.D , 1996
Stuart Rendel (1834-1913) and his contribution to the development of a distinctly Welsh political programme within the Liberal Party between 1880 and 1895
Wales M.A. , 1977
The divisions of Liberalism: Newcastle politics, 1870-1902
Manchester Ph.D. , 1972
The formation of Liberal Party policy, 1885-92
Wales Ph.D , 1972
The formation of the Liberal Party, 1857-68
Cambridge Ph.D. , 1962
The genesis and significance of the 1886 Home Rule split in the Liberal Party
Cambridge Ph.D. , 1964
The Gladstonian Liberal Party and religion, 1867-75
Cambridge Ph.D. , 1985
The growth of Liberal organisation in Manchester from the 1860s to 1903
Manchester Ph.D. , 1956
The intellectual duke: George Douglas Campbell, 8th duke of Argyll, 1823-1900
Edinburgh University , 2006
Citation form:
Ph.D
The inter-change between political ideas and events in Britain from the Great Reform Act of 1832 to 1870
Supervisor - Dr. I.J. Prothero
Manchester, Ph.D , 1995
The Irish policies of the second Gladstone government, 1880-85
Oxford D.Phil. , 1975
The Liberal Party and South Africa, 1868-80
Bradford Ph.D. , 1974
The Liberal Party and the House of Lords, 1880-1895
Wales M.A. , 1961
The Liberal Party in Scotland, 1843-1868: electoral politics and party development
Supervisor - Dr John F McCaffery
Glasgow, Ph.D. , 1996
The Liberal Party in Scotland, 1885-95
London Ph.D. , 1962
The Liberal Party in W.Yorkshire, 1885-95
Leeds Ph.D., , 1979
The Liberal Party of Stoke-on-Trent and parliamentary elections, 1862-80: a case study in Liberal- labour relations
Keele M.A. , 1974
The Liberal Party on Merseyside in the 19th century
Liverpool Ph.D. , 1968
The Liberal Press and the rise of Labour: a study, with particular reference to Leeds and Bradford, 1850-1895
Leeds Ph.D. , 1974
The Marquess of Hartington, Chief Secretary for Ireland, 1871-4: a study in policy and politics
Supervisor - Dr. A.J. Warren
York, MA , 1995
The National Reform Union and the Reform League: a comparative analysis
Supervisor - Dr. David Nicholls
Manchester Metropolitan, Ph.D , 1997
The New Liberalism and the challenge of Labour in the West Riding of Yorkshire, 1885-1914, with special reference to Huddersfield
Council for National Academic Awards Ph.D. , 1985
The origins and development of the National Liberal Federation to 1886
Oxford B.Litt , 1973
The political and military career of Major-General J.E.B. Seely, 1868-1947
Southampton M.Phil. , 2001
http://www.history.ac.uk/ihr/Resources/Theses/tc02.html
The political career of Walter Runciman, 1st Viscount Runciman of Doxford 1870-1949
Newcastle upon Tyne Ph.D. , 1995
The radicalism of Joseph Chamberlain: his ideas and actions in the context of Birmingham in the 1870s
Supervisor - Dr. Carl S.A. Chinn
Birmingham, M.Phil , 1998
The religious ideas and attitudes of William Ewart Gladstone (1809-1859)
Oxford D.Phil. , 1977
The Rev. James Brown Armour and Liberal politics in N. Antrim, 1869-1914
Belfast Ph.D. , 1979
The role of the Liberal Unionist party in British politics, 1886-95
London, Ph.D. , 1975
The Scottish Liberal Party, 1868-86
Strathclyde M.Litt. , 1975
The social and political activity of the Cadbury family: a study in manipulative capitalism
Supervisor - Professor Roy A. Lowe
Wales, Ph.D , 2002
The social and political development of Keighley, with special reference to the response of the Liberal Party to the rise of Labour, 1885-1914
Council for National Academic Awards Ph.D. , 1991
The working library of William Ewart Gladstone
Supervisor - Dr. Jon M. Lawrence
Liverpool, Ph.D , 2003
University Liberals and the challenge of democracy, 1860-86
Edinburgh Ph.D. , 1972
Welsh Liberalism, 1868-96: a study in political structure and ideology
Oxford D.Phil. , 1984
Research
Letters of Richard Cobden (1804-65)
Knowledge of the whereabouts of any letters written by Cobden in private hands, autograph collections, and obscure locations in the UK and abroad for a complete edition of his letters.
(For further details of the Cobden Letters Project, please see www.uea.ac.uk/his/research/projects/cobden)
Dr Anthony Howe
Contact: School of History, University of East
Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ; a.c.howe@uea.ac.uk.
