The outbreak of revolution in Paris in 1789 forced Britain into a political and military conflict that had a profound impact on politics, economy, public discourse and cultural life well into the 19th century. The essays collected here examine the various responses to the revolution and the significant changes wrought within Britain by the events. Some essays discuss the ideological divisions within Britain and Ireland. Others take a closer look at the media and the debate on the press, and reinvestigate responses to the revolution by prominent contemporaries such as William Godwin, Dugald Stewart, and William Wordsworth.

This challenging and original study examines the most important aspects of popular political culture in eighteenth-century Britain. The first part explores the way the British people could influence existing political institutions or could exploit their existing powers, by looking at the role of the people in parliamentary elections, in a wide range of pressure groups, in their local urban communities, and in popular demonstrations. The second part shows how the British people became increasingly politicised during the eighteenth century and how they tried to shape or defend their political world.