* Shows how Britain became the leading European imperial state, and, at the same time, the most economically and socially advanced, politically liberal and religiously tolerant nation in Europe. * Covers political, social, cultural, economic and religious history. * Written by an international team of experts.

List of Maps. List of Contributors. Introduction. Maps. Part I: Politics and the Constitution. 1. British Constitution (H.T. Dickinson). 2. The British State (Eckhart Hellmuth). 3. Finance and Taxation (Patrick Karl O'Brien). 4. Local Government and Local Society (David Eastwood). 5. Parliament, Parties and Elections (1688-1760) (Brian Hill). 6. Parliament, Parties and Elections (1760-1815) (Stephen M. Lee). 7. The Jacobite Movement (Daniel Szechi). 8. Popular Politics and Radical Ideas (H.T. Dickinson). 9. The Crisis of the French Revolution (Emma Vincent Macleod). Part II: The Economy and Society. 10. Manufacturing and Commerce (John Rule). 11. Agriculture and Rural Life (Gordon Mingay). 12. The Landed Elite (Richard G. Wilson). 13. The Middling Orders (Nicholas Rogers). 14. The Labouring Poor (John Rule). 15. Urban Life and Culture (Peter Borsay). 16. Women and the Family (John D. Ramsbottom). Part III: Religion. 17. The Church of England (Jeremy Gregory). 18. Religious Minorities in England (Colin Haydon). 19. Methodism and the Evangelical Revival (G. M. Ditchfield). 20. Religion in Scotland (Stewart J. Brown). 21. Religion in Ireland (Sean J. Connolly). Part IV: Culture. 22. Print Culture (Bob Harris). 23. Political Ideas from Locke to Paine (Pamela Edwards). 24. The Making of Elite Culture (Maura A. Henry). 25. Literature and Drama (J. Alan Downie). 26. Popular Culture (Bob Bushaway). 27. Crime and Punishment (James A. Sharpe). Part V: Union and Disunion in the British Isles. 28. Integration: Patriotism and Nationalism (Colin Kidd). 29. Scotland and the Union (Alexander Murdoch). 30. Wales in the Eighteenth Century (Geriant H. Jenkins). 31. Ireland: The Making of the 'Protestant Ascendancy', 1690-1760 (Paddy McNally). 32. Ireland: Radicalism, Rebellion and Union (Martyn J. Powell). Part VI: Britain and the Wider World. 33. Britain's Emergence as a European Power, 1688-1815 (H.M. Scott). 34. Britain and the Atlantic World (W.A. Speck). 35. Britain and India (Bruce P. Lenman). 36. The British Army (Stanley D.M. Carpenter). 37. The Royal Navy (Richard Harding). 38. Britain and he Slave Trade (John Oldfield). Bibliography. Index.

"This superb work by leading historian of the period provides a series of introductions to the most important themes for study. The authors bring the most up to date scholarship to bear in their work. Readable, sensible, perceptive and intelligent. If there is one book to use for this century, this is it." Archives Book Reviews "The accounts are succinct, very up-to-date and based upon regional as well as national evidence." Northern History "If this volume is any indication, the series will be successful. Dickinson has collected an array of prominent historians to digest and briefly discuss the trends in their respective fields. This is a collection of essays that most students will find exceptionally useful, and most faculty members will appreciate: Highly recommended." Choice