Castlereagh

Hinde, Wendy

Collins

Richard Cobden, one of the great figures of nineteenth-century English liberalism, had a career that touched on many aspects of Victorian life and thought. This new biography by Wendy Hinde is the first to be based on a thorough study of his letters and papers. Hinde's life of Cobden focuses on his fascinating career and his singular personality. She describes how, with his friend John Bright, he became the successful leader of the seven year campaign to repeal the corn laws, which removed protective tariffs from domestic agricultural goods and brought the working man within reach of a decent standard of living. For this achievement Cobden won both national and international fame. However, a few years later he forfeited his immense popularity by his outright opposition to the Crimean War. Because he insisted that the British should stop interfering in the affairs of other countries, he was characterized as unpatriotic and as an advocate of peace at any price. Then, after he had urged England to emulate America's peaceful progress, the United States became involved in its Civil War - a shattering blow to Cobden. The last years of his life were clouded by domestic tragedy, ill health, and his growing frustration at his country's apparent lack of interest in further reform. However, he had one final success when he negotiated, on behalf of a British government in which he had refused office, a treaty that brought down the tariff barriers between England and France. Hinde captures Cobden's character - his personal charm, courage and single-mindedness, intellectual liveliness, and the lack of self ambition - and argues convincingly that he was one of the most original and attractive figures in the pantheon of English politics. Her subtle and sympathetic biography of Cobden brings this eminent Victorian statesman to life. Wendy Hinde worked on 'The Economist' and was editor of 'International Affairs'. She is the author of distinguished biographies of two other nineteenth-century statesmen, George Canning and Castlereagh.

Richard Cobden: A Victorian Outsider

Biographies & Memoirs

Yale University Press

`Wendy Hinde has used the new material to produce a life which is not only the best book on Canning which has yet appeared, but one that will not easily be surpassed. She has performed admirably the fundamental task of all political biography: how to combine a clear and satisfactory account of the historical context with a vivid and convincing portrait of a personality...this is a satisfying and valuable book.'Norman Gash, New Statesman `Miss Hinde manages the eternal compromise of biography: striking the right balance between the central character and background events, with great skill.'Leslie Mitchell, THES Miss Hinde's book is a distinguished work of historical biography. Its scholarship seems to me faultless and its narrative power considerable.'Roy Jenkins, Observer `This life of George Canning is the best of those that have been produced about this remarkable statesman...it is most enjoyable and instructive to read.'Lord Butler, The Times `Altogether this is an ambitious project, well executed, and an admirable biography of one of Britain's more attractive statesmen.'TLS From the age of Pitt to the age of Peel, Canning dominated British politics. A gifted orator and debator, he towered above his rivals in the House of Commons. M.P. at twenty-three, Foreign Secretary at thirty-seven, and Prime Minister at fifty-seven, Canning ranks among the most distinguished statesmen in history. Few can fail to be fascinated by this compelling and controversial figure.

George Canning

History

Europe

Blackwell Pub.

<p>At the beginning of the 19th century catholics were still excluded by law from public and political life, and there was still much popular antipathy and mistrust of them. This book examines the sequence of events that brought about their emancipation. It shows how Daniel O'Connell's glorious and bloodless victory at the election in County Clare in 1828 pushed the Duke of Wellington's government towards a change in the law. It then examines the negotiations between Wellington and the King, who opposed the Bill on the grounds that to do so would violate his coronation oath, and the final dramatic surrender which allowed O'Connell to take his seat in the Commmons in May 1829.</p>

Catholic Emancipation: A Shake to Men's Minds

Wiley/Blackwell

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