James Vernon Boeken

This work offers a fresh perspective on nineteenth-century English politics by integrating oral histories, visual materials, and printed documents. It explores how these diverse sources contribute to a deeper understanding of the political landscape of the era, challenging traditional narratives and emphasizing the voices and experiences often overlooked in historical accounts. Through this multifaceted approach, the book sheds light on the complexities of political life during this transformative period.

What does it mean to live in the modern world? How different is that world from those that preceded it, and when did we become modern? In Distant Strangers, James Vernon argues that the world was made modern not by revolution, industrialization, or the Enlightenment. Instead, he shows how in Britain, a place long held to be the crucible of modernity, a new and distinctly modern social condition emerged by the middle of the nineteenth century. Rapid and sustained population growth, combined with increasing mobility of people over greater distances and concentrations of people in cities, created a society of strangers. Vernon explores how individuals in modern societies adapted to live among strangers by forging more abstract and anonymous economic, social, and political relations, as well as by reanimating the local and the personal.

Culturally significant, this work has been preserved to reflect its original form, including copyright references and library stamps. It serves as an essential piece of the knowledge base of civilization, offering insights into historical contexts and scholarly importance. The reproduction aims to maintain authenticity, providing readers with a genuine experience of the original artifact.

Culturally significant, this work is a reproduction of an original artifact, preserving its authenticity with original copyright references and library stamps. It serves as an essential part of the knowledge base of civilization, reflecting the historical context and importance of the text. The inclusion of these elements highlights its scholarly value and connection to major libraries worldwide.

An introductory textbook charting a global history of modern Britain from 1750 to the present.