Power, ideology and 'country politics' : episodes from Derbyshire, c.1660-1760
By engaging with Western Marxism and recent developments in social history, this thesis will explore the popular social and political responses to capitalist development and state formation in early modern England. We will analyse the role that country Tory oppositional politics played in local society, its relationship to national politics and to local economic change. This will be done through a series of case studies and episodes from Derbyshire, 1660-1760. Attention will be paid to the politics of the labouring poor, such as the tenants of Robert Hayward and the Rossell family, the Peak lead miners, opponents of the Derwent navigation and plebeian Tories in Derby. Yet the primary focus of the thesis will be on the âmiddling sort of peopleâ like the local gentry families, tradesmen, parish officials, shopkeepers and smallholders. Rather than studying bourgeois, polite society and London coffee house culture, we will prioritise the social relations of the middling sort of people in one county community. Special attention will be paid to their political responses to socio-economic change, and their opposition to the Whig oligarchy after 1722. Opposition to Robert Walpole and wider economic change acted
Riordan, James
Power, ideology and 'country politics' : episodes from Derbyshire, c.1660-1760. By engaging with Western Marxism and recent developments in social history, this thesis will explore the popular social and political responses to capitalist development and state formation in early modern England. We will analyse the role that country Tory oppositional politics played in local society, its relationship to national politics and to local economic change. This will be done through a series of case studies and episodes from Derbyshire, 1660-1760. Attention will be paid to the politics of the labouring poor, such as the tenants of Robert Hayward and the Rossell family, the Peak lead miners, opponents of the Derwent navigation and plebeian Tories in Derby. Yet the primary focus of the thesis will be on the âmiddling sort of peopleâ like the local gentry families, tradesmen, parish officials, shopkeepers and smallholders. Rather than studying bourgeois, polite society and London coffee house culture, we will prioritise the social relations of the middling sort of people in one county community. Special attention will be paid to their political responses to socio-economic change, and their opposition to the Whig oligarchy after 1722. Opposition to Robert Walpole and wider economic change acted
power ideology country politics episode derbyshire engage western marxism recent_development social_history explore popular social_political response capitalist development state_formation early_modern_england analyse role country tory oppositional politics play local_society relationship national_politics local economic_change series_case study episodes derbyshire attention_pay politics labour_poor tenant family peak lead miner opponent navigation plebeian tories derby yet primary_focus middle_sort people like local gentry_family tradesman parish official shopkeeper rather study bourgeois polite society london coffee house culture prioritise social_relation middle_sort people county community special_attention_pay political response socio_economic change opposition whig oligarchy opposition walpole wider_economic change act