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At a time when constitutional issues are assuming a greater
importance in public life than they have held for perhaps 25 years,
it seems a particularly apt moment to re-publish Walter Bagehot's
classic analysis of the constitution. Major changes to the
constitution are promised by the new Labour government, and the
political controversy over these suggests that changes generated
during the 1997 election campaign have thrust critical analysis of
the constitution once more into the limelight.
The English Constitution provides the most lucid and readable
account of what has been termed the 'Golden Age' of the nineteenth
century constitution, before the advent of universal male suffrage
and the rise of party as the overriding force in the British
polity. Despite being strongly rooted in its time, Bagehot's work
can still provide us with fascinating insights into the basic
nature of the constitution and its organic connections with the
society within which it functions. In sketching connections between
class and political systems, in its use of ideology, in what we
would now term its interdisciplinary approach, Bagehot's study
provides insights and analysis of sometimes startling
modernity.
In this new Introduction, Gavin Phillipson provides a fresh and
distinctly contemporary appraisal of Bagehot's famous work. The
Introduction clearly elucidates how the actual workings of the
constitution have changed since Bagehot's time but powerfully
illuminates the strong continuing value and contemporary relevance
of his analysis.
The son of a Somerset-based banker, Walter Bagehot (1826-77)
studied classics and philosophy at University College London and
later qualified as a barrister, but gave up the law to join the
family business. Expansive in his intellectual appetites, he wrote
across an array of subjects, including politics, finance, science
and literature. From 1861 until his death, he edited The Economist.
In this classic 1867 publication, comprising essays that had
previously appeared in the Fortnightly Review, Bagehot sought to
present the 'living reality' of how Britain was governed at that
time. His analysis is remembered for its distinction between the
'dignified' and 'efficient' parts of the constitution, with the
institution of the monarchy perceived as embodying the former
quality and inspiring deference among the masses. Bagehot's
assessments have been much studied and debated ever since. His book
on the contemporary money market, Lombard Street (1873), is also
reissued in this series.
Walter Bagehot (1826-77), the influential political and economic
essayist, wrote a number of books that became standards in their
respective fields. He attended University College, London, where he
studied mathematics and gained a master's degree in intellectual
and moral philosophy. He was called to the bar, but instead chose a
career in his father's banking business. He wrote widely on
literature, economics and politics, co-founding the National Review
in 1855. He became editor-in-chief of The Economist in 1860 and
remained in that post until his death. This work, published
originally in 1873 and described by J. M. Keynes as 'an undying
classic', is a masterpiece of economics. It explains the world of
finance and banking, concentrating on crisis management, and its
ideas are as relevant today as ever, especially in the face of the
global financial crisis that emerged in 2007.
Walter Bagehot (1826 1877) was an eminent British journalist,
businessman and political commentator. After graduating from
University College, London, in 1848, Bagehot joined his father's
banking business. In 1857 he began to write articles for The
Economist and became editor in 1861, a position he held until his
death. This volume, first published in 1872, contains Bagehot's
discussion of the scientific principles of progress in a society.
Incorporating aspects of other social disciplines, including
anthropology and Darwinian evolutionary theory, Bagehot traces the
development of political society from an assumed 'pre-political'
age to the development of nation-states, and examines the
developments necessary for evolution into a liberal, trade-oriented
society. Bagehot's appreciation of both conservative and liberal
values is evident in this volume, which provides a valuable example
of the influence of Darwinian thought in the late nineteenth
century. This text is reissued from the 1873 second edition.
'An ancient and ever-altering constitution is like an old man who
still wears with attached fondness clothes in the fashion of his
youth: what you see of him is the same; what you do not see is
wholly altered.' Walter Bagehot's The English Constitution (1867)
is the best account of the history and working of the British
political system ever written. As arguments raged in mid-Victorian
Britain about giving the working man the vote, and democracies
overseas were pitched into despotism and civil war, Bagehot took a
long, cool look at the 'dignified' and 'efficient' elements which
made the English system the envy of the world. His analysis of the
monarchy, the role of the prime minister and cabinet, and
comparisons with the American presidential system are astute and
timeless, and pertinent to current discussions surrounding
devolution and electoral reform. Combining the wit and panache of a
journalist with the wisdom of a man of letters steeped in
evolutionary ideas and historical knowledge, Bagehot produced a
book which is always thoughtful, often funny, and seldom dull. This
edition reproduces Bagehot's original 1867 work in full, and
introduces the reader to the dramatic political events that
surrounded its publication. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years
Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of
literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects
Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate
text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert
introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the
text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
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