The Strange Death of Liberal England
Encyclopedia
The Strange Death of Liberal England is a book written by George Dangerfield
, first published in 1935, attempting to explain the decline of the British Liberal Party
in the years 1910 to 1914.
effectively destroyed the Liberal Party as a party of government. These rebellions were the Conservative Party
's fight against the Parliament Act 1911
; the threat of civil war in Ireland
by the Ulster Unionists under Sir Edward Carson
with the encouragement of Conservative leader Andrew Bonar Law; the Suffragette
movement under the Pankhursts; and the increasingly militant trade union
s under the influence of syndicalism
.
Capricorn Books, an American publisher, put out a paperback in 1961, that stayed in print for most of the 1960s at least. This edition has the years '1910-1914' immediately following the title as if they were part of the title although it is not.
The fifteenth volume of Albion
in 1985 focused on the book and its author.
In 1997 it was republished by Serif and Stanford University Press
, with a foreword by Peter Stansky. In 1998 the book was chosen by the editors as number eighty-two in the Modern Library
List of 100 Best Nonfiction Books published in the 20th Century.
named his work on U.S. politics The Strange Death of Republican America. Books have also been published in the 2000s with the titles The Strange Death of Tory England
, The Strange Death of Liberal America, The Strange Demise of British Canada and The Strange Death of Marxism. A 2010 The Economist
article proclaimed The strange death of social-democratic Sweden.
Oddly, a British indie band
is named after the book and a documentary currently being made, The Strange Decline of the English Cottage, is a reference to the book .
George Dangerfield
George Dangerfield was a journalist, historian, and the literary editor of Vanity Fair from 1933 to 1935...
, first published in 1935, attempting to explain the decline of the British Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
in the years 1910 to 1914.
Thesis
Dangerfield argues that four great rebellions before the Great WarWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
effectively destroyed the Liberal Party as a party of government. These rebellions were the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
's fight against the Parliament Act 1911
Parliament Act 1911
The Parliament Act 1911 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is constitutionally important and partly governs the relationship between the House of Commons and the House of Lords which make up the Houses of Parliament. This Act must be construed as one with the Parliament Act 1949...
; the threat of civil war in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
by the Ulster Unionists under Sir Edward Carson
Edward Carson, Baron Carson
Edward Henry Carson, Baron Carson PC, PC , Kt, QC , often known as Sir Edward Carson or Lord Carson, was a barrister, judge and politician from Ireland...
with the encouragement of Conservative leader Andrew Bonar Law; the Suffragette
Suffragette
"Suffragette" is a term coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for members of the late 19th and early 20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union...
movement under the Pankhursts; and the increasingly militant trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
s under the influence of syndicalism
Syndicalism
Syndicalism is a type of economic system proposed as a replacement for capitalism and an alternative to state socialism, which uses federations of collectivised trade unions or industrial unions...
.
Publishing history
The New York book publishers Harrison Smith and Robert Haas first printed the book, although it soon went out of print due to the publisher's bankruptcy. An edited version was published in Britain in 1936 for the first time by Constable. Because it was viewed as "popular history" and the book's time period was so close to 1935, it largely escaped being reviewed by the major history journals.Capricorn Books, an American publisher, put out a paperback in 1961, that stayed in print for most of the 1960s at least. This edition has the years '1910-1914' immediately following the title as if they were part of the title although it is not.
The fifteenth volume of Albion
Albion (history journal)
Albion was a peer-reviewed history journal publishing articles on aspects of British history of any period. It was published quarterly at Appalachian State University for the North American Conference on British Studies from 1969 until 2005, at which point it was merged into an expanded version of...
in 1985 focused on the book and its author.
In 1997 it was republished by Serif and Stanford University Press
Stanford University Press
The Stanford University Press is the publishing house of Stanford University. In 1892, an independent publishing company was established at the university. The first use of the name "Stanford University Press" in a book's imprinting occurred in 1895...
, with a foreword by Peter Stansky. In 1998 the book was chosen by the editors as number eighty-two in the Modern Library
Modern Library
The Modern Library is a publishing company. Founded in 1917 by Albert Boni and Horace Liveright as an imprint of their publishing company Boni & Liveright, it was purchased in 1925 by Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer...
List of 100 Best Nonfiction Books published in the 20th Century.
Influence
Dangerfield's work has remained prominent in its field. The book has also inspired the titles of other publications, notably works of contemporary political history. As recently as April 2008, Sidney BlumenthalSidney Blumenthal
Sidney Blumenthal is a former aide to President of the United States Bill Clinton and a widely published American journalist, especially on American politics and foreign policy....
named his work on U.S. politics The Strange Death of Republican America. Books have also been published in the 2000s with the titles The Strange Death of Tory England
The Strange Death of Tory England
The Strange Death of Tory England is a book of political commentary by the journalist Geoffrey Wheatcroft, published in 2005.-Outline:In the run-up to the United Kingdom general election of 2005, Wheatcroft looks at the journey of the British Conservative Party from being the country's most...
, The Strange Death of Liberal America, The Strange Demise of British Canada and The Strange Death of Marxism. A 2010 The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
article proclaimed The strange death of social-democratic Sweden.
Oddly, a British indie band
The Strange Death of Liberal England (band)
The Strange Death of Liberal England also known as TSDOLE are five member band from Portsmouth, England. Their influences range from folk to indie rock to post rock with this diversity creating a large number of followers, including BBC Radio One DJs Steve Lamacq, Zane Lowe and Huw Stephens.The...
is named after the book and a documentary currently being made, The Strange Decline of the English Cottage, is a reference to the book .