To live in nineteenth-century Britain was to experience an astonishing and unprecedented series of changes. Cities grew vast; there were revolutions in transportation, communication, science, and work–all while a growing religious skepticism rendered the intellectual landscape increasingly unrecognizable. It was an exhilarating time, and as a result, most of the countries in the world that experienced these changes were racked by political and social unrest. Britain, however, maintained a stable polity at home, and as a result it quickly found itself in a position of global leadership.

My opinion

Unlike the cover text above suggests this is a purely a political history book. It focuses life inside british parliament. Book goes trough every single government and major political topic of their time during a 106 year period. It gives a good look of a politics of the time and it is interesting to notice similarities for our time. It also reflects some scientific discoveries and peoples relationship to their empire, but mostly it’s all about politics.

For who?

For people interested in political history.