Popular political continuity in urban England, 1867-1918: the case studies of Bristol and Northampton
This thesis examines the transition between working-class radicalism and labour politics in two provincial English constituencies, Bristol and Northampton, between 1867 and 1918. By combining local case studies with a textual analysis of empirical material and a conceptual approach to ideology, it o...
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| Format: | Thesis (University of Nottingham only) |
| Language: | English |
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2016
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/32132/ |
| _version_ | 1848794340898373632 |
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| author | Kidd, Matthew |
| author_facet | Kidd, Matthew |
| author_sort | Kidd, Matthew |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | This thesis examines the transition between working-class radicalism and labour politics in two provincial English constituencies, Bristol and Northampton, between 1867 and 1918. By combining local case studies with a textual analysis of empirical material and a conceptual approach to ideology, it offers fresh insights into popular political change in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Britain.
Its central argument is that, contrary to the prevailing historiography on labour politics and identity, a distinctive sense of class could shape working-class radical and labour strategies, languages, identities, and ideologies continuously between 1867 and 1918. In particular, it demonstrates that before the mid-1880s, working-class radical activists in Bristol and Northampton exhibited a non-adversarial sense of class that shaped their perceptions of the social order, their interpretations of radical ideology, and their relationships with both mainstream liberals and middle-class radicals.
It also suggests that while working-class radicals came to use 'labour' to describe themselves and their organisations from the mid-1880s, this was primarily a rhetorical move rather than one reflecting a substantive change in their political identity. Over the next thirty years, labour activists in both Bristol and Northampton remained fiercely committed to the dominant strategy, the non-conflictual conception of class, and the political ideology that had long shaped local working-class radical traditions. In these constituencies, the Victorian tradition of working-class radicalism left an indelible mark on twentieth-century labour politics.
This study has important implications for our understanding of political and ideological change in modern Britain. Firstly, confirming the existence of a decidedly working-class radical movement makes it easier to understand the rise of a class-based labour politics in late Victorian Britain without having to account for either discontinuities in popular politics or the re-emergence of a dormant class consciousness within the British working class. Secondly, establishing a line of continuity between working-class radicalism and later labour politics helps us to explain some of the tensions that characterised progressive politics in the Edwardian era. Finally, seeing working-class radicalism as a distinctive ideology with its own conceptual framework enriches our understanding of non-liberal progressive thought in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:14:39Z |
| format | Thesis (University of Nottingham only) |
| id | nottingham-32132 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:14:39Z |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-321322025-02-28T11:46:45Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/32132/ Popular political continuity in urban England, 1867-1918: the case studies of Bristol and Northampton Kidd, Matthew This thesis examines the transition between working-class radicalism and labour politics in two provincial English constituencies, Bristol and Northampton, between 1867 and 1918. By combining local case studies with a textual analysis of empirical material and a conceptual approach to ideology, it offers fresh insights into popular political change in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Britain. Its central argument is that, contrary to the prevailing historiography on labour politics and identity, a distinctive sense of class could shape working-class radical and labour strategies, languages, identities, and ideologies continuously between 1867 and 1918. In particular, it demonstrates that before the mid-1880s, working-class radical activists in Bristol and Northampton exhibited a non-adversarial sense of class that shaped their perceptions of the social order, their interpretations of radical ideology, and their relationships with both mainstream liberals and middle-class radicals. It also suggests that while working-class radicals came to use 'labour' to describe themselves and their organisations from the mid-1880s, this was primarily a rhetorical move rather than one reflecting a substantive change in their political identity. Over the next thirty years, labour activists in both Bristol and Northampton remained fiercely committed to the dominant strategy, the non-conflictual conception of class, and the political ideology that had long shaped local working-class radical traditions. In these constituencies, the Victorian tradition of working-class radicalism left an indelible mark on twentieth-century labour politics. This study has important implications for our understanding of political and ideological change in modern Britain. Firstly, confirming the existence of a decidedly working-class radical movement makes it easier to understand the rise of a class-based labour politics in late Victorian Britain without having to account for either discontinuities in popular politics or the re-emergence of a dormant class consciousness within the British working class. Secondly, establishing a line of continuity between working-class radicalism and later labour politics helps us to explain some of the tensions that characterised progressive politics in the Edwardian era. Finally, seeing working-class radicalism as a distinctive ideology with its own conceptual framework enriches our understanding of non-liberal progressive thought in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. 2016-07-12 Thesis (University of Nottingham only) NonPeerReviewed application/pdf en arr https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/32132/1/Matthew%20Kidd%20-%20PhD%20Revised.pdf Kidd, Matthew (2016) Popular political continuity in urban England, 1867-1918: the case studies of Bristol and Northampton. PhD thesis, University of Nottingham. History Radicalism Labour Popular politics Continuity Change Working class trade union |
| spellingShingle | History Radicalism Labour Popular politics Continuity Change Working class trade union Kidd, Matthew Popular political continuity in urban England, 1867-1918: the case studies of Bristol and Northampton |
| title | Popular political continuity in urban England, 1867-1918: the case studies of Bristol and Northampton |
| title_full | Popular political continuity in urban England, 1867-1918: the case studies of Bristol and Northampton |
| title_fullStr | Popular political continuity in urban England, 1867-1918: the case studies of Bristol and Northampton |
| title_full_unstemmed | Popular political continuity in urban England, 1867-1918: the case studies of Bristol and Northampton |
| title_short | Popular political continuity in urban England, 1867-1918: the case studies of Bristol and Northampton |
| title_sort | popular political continuity in urban england, 1867-1918: the case studies of bristol and northampton |
| topic | History Radicalism Labour Popular politics Continuity Change Working class trade union |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/32132/ |