This book provides a thorough analysis of the political career of William Gladstone, one of the most intriguing and controversial figures in modern British history. 'Gladstone and the Logic of Victorian Politics' captures the incredible richness and range of Gladstone's political journey, tracing his evolution from idealistic Tory defender of a theocratic Anglican state, through his transformation into Peelite financial administrator, reforming Liberal Prime Minister, populist champion of the 'masses against the classes', and culminating in his strenuous yet schismatic attempt to bring Home Rule to Ireland. Each stage in Gladstone's development is fully assessed in the light both of recent historiographical debates and Gladstone's own complex reflections upon his own actions.
Throughout, serious attention is devoted to the intellectual processes that shaped Gladstone's political practice. Gladstone was unique, not merely in the longevity of his career, but in his determination to reason through his responses to problems in the light of his extensive reading, his study of ancient literature, and his profoundly held religious convictions. As such this book provides an ideal entry point into the Victorian world and Gladstone's thinking about such questions as financial policy, the relevance of morality to foreign policy, the claims of national sentiment, Britain's responsibility as an imperial power, and the role of public opinion in policy making. The conclusions he arrived at cannot be ignored by anyone interested in nineteenth century history – or, indeed, the political challenges confronting Britain and the world in the twenty-first century.
