John Bright : statesman, orator, agitator /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:Cash, William.
Imprint:London ; New York : I.B. Tauris ; New York : Distributed in the U.S. and Canada exclusively by Palgrave Macmillan, c2012.
Description:xxx, 328 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.
Language:English
Subject:
Format: Print Book
URL for this record:http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/8773189
Hidden Bibliographic Details
ISBN:9781848859968
1848859961
Notes:Includes bibliographical references (p. [313]-316) and index.
Summary:"John Bright was one of the greatest British statesmen of the 19th century: in a series of Punch cartoons in 1878, Bright featured alongside Disraeli and Gladstone as the three greatest politicians of the age. However, his impressive contribution to British politics and society has been virtually forgotten in the modern world. Bright played a critical role in many of the most important political movements of the Victorian era - most notably the Anti-Corn Law League, which he founded with Richard Cobden in 1838 and which played a significant role in obtaining the abolition of the Corn Laws in 1846. He was also a vehement opponent of capital punishment and supported free trade, electoral reform and religious freedom. He was internationally renowned as an excellent speaker and a copy of one of his speeches was found in the pocket of Abraham Lincoln on the day of his assassination. In this new biography, the first for over 30 years, Bill Cash provides an incisive and engaging portrait of a man who influenced the politics of his generation more than virtually any other. It will be fascinating reading for anyone interested in Victorian politics and society."--Publisher's website.
Description
Summary:John Bright was one of the greatest British statesmen of the nineteenth century. In a series of Punch cartoons in 1878, Bright featured alongside Disraeli and Gladstone as among the most influential politicians of the age. However, his profound contribution to British politics and society has been virtually forgotten in the modern world. Bright played a critical role in many of the most important political movements of the Victorian era, from the repeal of the Corn Laws to Home Rule. In his great campaign leading up to the Reform Act 1867, he fought for parliamentary reform on behalf of the working class and for the abolition of newspaper taxes. Internationally renowned as an orator, he was a dedicated opponent of slavery and champion of the North in the American Civil War. His testimonial for Abraham Lincoln's re-election was found in the President's pocket on his assassination. He was vigorously opposed to the Crimean War and campaigned against the oppression of the Irish tenantry and colonial subjects throughout the Empire. Fiercely independent, he eventually split from the Liberal Party over Home Rule, becoming a Liberal Unionist.In this new biography, the first for over 30 years, Bill Cash provides an incisive and engaging portrait of a man who influenced the politics of his generation more than virtually any other, with important implications for the present day.
Physical Description:xxx, 328 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references (p. [313]-316) and index.
ISBN:9781848859968
1848859961