The nineteenth century was Britain's, in the sense that during the period she more closely approached the status of world hegemonic power than ever before - or since. The workshop of the world and the homeland of the mind, Britain was an unchallenged industrial and manufacturing power, with undisputed control of the seas and the largest formal empire ever seen. She was also a place of refuge for liberal intelligentsia in flight from despotic and reactionary regimes elsewhere in the world.

Looking at the historical evolution of the central political institutions, and the social milieu surrounding them, this book helps to explain Britain's pre-eminence during the nineteenth century. The 'political' history of the country from 1815 to 1905 - a substantial part of the book - provides the necessary foundation for a social history that focuses particularly on issues of demography, religion, social class, and gender.