Cornwall Politics in the Age of Reform, 1790-1885

Cornwall Politics in the Age of Reform, 1790-1885
ISBN-10
0861932439
ISBN-13
9780861932436
Category
History
Pages
260
Language
English
Published
1999
Publisher
Boydell & Brewer Ltd
Author
Ed Jaggard

Description

This detailed case-study offers a penetrating analysis of the changing political culture in Cornwall up to and after the introduction of the 1832 electoral system. It spans a century in which the county's parliamentary over-representation and notorious political corruption was replaced by a politicised electorate for whom issues and principles were usually paramount. Several models of electoral behaviour are tested; in particular, the continuous political activism of Cornwall's farmers stands out. Despite remnants of the unreformed electoral system lingering into the mid-Victorian era, Cornwall developed a powerful Liberal tradition, built upon distinctive patterns of non-conformity; the Conservatives, split by dissension, saw their pre-reform ascendancy disappear. Professor EDWIN JAGGARD lectures in history at Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia.

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