“Ah, well! They may write such things — [Humpty Dumpty's rhyme] — in a book. . .That's what you call a History of England, that is” — Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass

It may be impossible to recover the past tel quel, but it is possible to say true or false things about it, and to draw true or false, humane or cruel, conclusions or morals. The Law and Medicine, for example, both value, and depend on, quite precise case histories as instructive precedents and, sometimes, as awful warnings. The fact that there are variant accounts of a crime, and the possibility of false witness, does not prevent us, in general, from having some faith in the judicial process (even aggrieved radicals regularly call for “impartial inquiries”). — Frederic Raphael, “Basse couture,” Times Literary Supplement, 15 October 2010

Timelines

Political Parties

Corn Laws

Reform Acts

Women's Suffrage

Prime Ministers

Other Figures

Economic History

Key Legislation and Related Events

Socialism, Marxism, and related reform movements in late-Victorian Britain

The British Empire and International Relations

Religion and Political History

Various Resources

Miscellaneous

Pre-Victorian Political History


Last modified 12 January 2024