Politics in the Age of Fox, Pitt and Liverpool

For many, the late 18th century was a period of political corruption awaiting for the triumph of reform. In this lucidly written study, now in a revised edition, John Derry shows that the traditional political system was more remarkable for its resilience than for its defects and that it succeeded to an astonishing extent in meeting the challenges of war, the threat from the French Revolution, and the problems caused by unprecedented social and economic change. A vigorous narrative is combined with insightful analysis of the assumptions on which the practice of politics was based and the fashion in which politicians responded to the demands made of them.