Liberals became increasingly concerned with bringing peace to Ireland, where sectarian differences and economic problems were intermingled. Gladstones attempt to bring in home rule, however, split the party and ended the long Liberal ascendancy; he finally retired in 1894. Divisions also arose between those who thought government should stick to the traditional Liberal approach of small government and political reform, and those who argued for intervention to help the poorer sections of society.
History (15)
Biographies (12)
Journals (1)
Journal articles (32)
Events (7)
Archives: libraries (6)
PhD theses (54)
Research (2)
Audio sources (1)
History
A concise history of the Liberal Party, SDP and Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are the successors to two important reformist traditions in British politics - those of liberalism and of social democracy, which became separated from each other in the early p...
Bentham on Utilitarianism
Extract from Principles of the civil code in Theory of Legislation, trans R Hildreth, 8th edn, London, 1894. ...
Chamberlains Radical Programme
Joseph Chamberlain, the Birmingham manufacturer, took up full time politics in the 1870s. As mayor of Birmingham he built his reputation by successfully importing business methods into local governme...
Gladstone's Newcastle Speech - The Future Policy of the Liberal Party
Gladstones Newcastle speech of October 2nd, 1891 to the Annual Meeting of the National Liberal Federation. ...
Gladstonian Liberalism
Few statesmen left a deeper and more permanent mark on British Liberalism than William Ewart Gladstone (1809-1898). What secured a unique place for him in the history of Liberalism was not simply the...
Liberal Unionists
Gladstones decision to pursue a policy of Home Rule for Ireland in 1886 divided the Liberal Party to the core and prompted the departure of the Liberal Unionists, who subsequently formed a separate p...
Nonconformists
The Nonconformists were members of several Protestant groups outside the Church of England. They included in their ranks the Old Dissenters, denominations that went back to the seventeenth century. T...
Rainbow Circle
The Rainbow Circle was a dining club which comprised a group of progressive politicians who met between 1894-1920. ...
The Liberals and Ireland since 1801
Underneath the surface of this [Irish question], and wrapped up in it, are nearly all the controversies of principle which will agitate the political atmosphere of our time. It is a microcosm of the ...
The Midlothian Campaign
A year after the defeat of his government in 1874, William Ewart Gladstone retired as leader of the Liberal Party. At 65, he deeply desired an interval between parliament and the grave to devote to r...
The Newcastle Programme
The general election of 1885 was the first fought on the enlarged franchise of the third reform act and the first in which the parties competed for the votes of large numbers of agricultural workers....
Women's Liberal Federation
The Women's Liberal Federation was formed between 1886 and 1887 under the presidency of Gladstone's daughter, Catherine and by the turn of the century, the organisation had around 60,000 me...
Edison's recording of Gladstone
The Gladstone recording would originally have been made on a cylinder for the phonograph which Thomas Edison announced to the world in 1877. ...
Great Liberals
John Stuart Mill chosen as greatest British Liberal ...
Old heroes for a new leader
As we have done in each of the last two Liberal Democrat leadership elections, in 1999 and 2006, the Liberal Democrat History Group has asked both candidates for the Liberal Democrat leadership to wr...
Biographies
Biography of Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman
Campbell-Bannerman, Sir Henry
Biography of William Ewart Gladstone
Gladstone, William Ewart
Biography of Sir William Harcourt
Harcourt, Sir William
Biography of Earl Archibald Philip Primrose Rosebery
Rosebery, Earl Of
Biography of John Atkinson Hobson
Hobson, John Atkinson
Biography of Graham Wallas
Wallas, Graham
Biography of Charles Bradlaugh
Bradlaugh, Charles
Biography of Joseph Chamberlain
Chamberlain, Joseph
Biography of Viscount Herbert Gladstone
Gladstone, Herbert (Viscount Gladstone)
Biography of Viscount Edward Grey
Grey, Edward (Viscount Grey)
Biography of William Ewart Gladstone
Gladstone, William Ewart
Biography of Lord Kimberley
Kimberley, Lord (John Wodehouse)
Journal
Journal of Liberal Democrat History 20 - Special issue: William Ewart Gladstone 1809-98
Journal articles
Gladstonian Liberalism according to Gladstone
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 52 ')
What were the prevailing principles of the Liberal Party in the late Victorian period?
William Digby and the Indian Question
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 58 ')
The first secretary of the National Liberal Club was also a radical political organiser and agitator for India. Examination of his activities.
David and Maggie
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 63 ')
Diaries and correspondence files are used to examine the courtship between David Lloyd George and Margaret Owen between 1884 and their marriage in 1888.
The making of 'The People's William'
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 75 ')
Analysis of Gladstone's transformation into the most popular politician of his age.
The 1988 leadership campaign
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal Democrat History 24 ')
Following this year's leadership election for the Liberal Democrats, Harriet Smith looks back to the party's first such election.
The Peacemaker
(from journal ' Liberal Democrat History Group Newsletter 9 ')
How many people know that the first British recipient of a Nobel Peace Prize was a Liberal MP? This article charts the political career of William Randal Cremer (1828-1908).
Gladstone, Marx and modern progressives
(from journal ' Liberal Democrat History Group Newsletter 8 ')
Examination of the relationship between Karl Marx and William Ewart Gladstone, between revolutionary Marxism and reformist Gladstonian Liberalism.
The Liberal Party: Triumph and Disintegration 1886-1929
(from journal ' Liberal Democrat History Group Newsletter 1 ')
Review of G. R. Searle, The Liberal Party: Triumph and Disintegration 1886-1929
The high summer of Victorian Liberalism
(from journal ' Liberal Democrat History Group Newsletter 5 ')
Review of Ian Bradley, The Optimists
Lloyd George's Flintshire loyalist
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 57 ')
The political achievement of John Herbert Lewis MP (1858-1933).
The Liberal Party and womens suffrage, 1866-1918
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 62 - Special issue: Women and Liberalism ')
Analysis of the relationship between the Liberal Party and the campaigns for womens suffrage.
A distinction without a difference?
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 72 - Special issue: The Liberal experience of coalition government ')
An analysis of how the Liberal Unionists maintained a distinctive identity from their Conservative allies, until coalition in 1895.
Lloyd George, nonconformity and radicalism
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 77 - Special issue: David Lloyd George ')
Lloyd George's career and beliefs from 1890 to 1906.
The evolution of devolution
(from journal ' Liberal Democrat History Group Newsletter 13 ')
Analysis of the lessons from the first Home Rule Bill of 1886.
Sir Edward Watkin and the Liberal cause in the nineteenth century
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 55 ')
The life of Liberal MP Edward Watkin, the last of the railway kings.
Victorian Liberals
(from journal ' Liberal Democrat History Group Newsletter 3 ')
Review of Jonathan Parry, The Rise and Fall of Liberal Government in Victorian Britain
A fine and disinterested spirit
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 57 ')
The life and activities of Aneurin Williams MP (1859-1924).
A 'sincere, thorough and hearty Liberal'?
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 52 ')
Biography of Jabez Balfour, 1843-1916
Dizzy and the Grand Old Man
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 58 ')
Review of Richard Aldous, The Lion and the Unicorn: Gladstone vs Disraeli
George Jacob Holyoake
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 67 - Special issue: Liberals and the left ')
Examination of how the life of Holyoake exemplified the development of popular Liberalism.
A Liberal Life
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal Democrat History 27 ')
Review of Daniel Waley: A Liberal Life: Sydney, Earl Buxton, 1853-1934
Lord Acton
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal Democrat History 28 ')
Review of Roland Hill: Lord Acton
Report: Fighting Labour - the struggle for radical supremacy in Scotland 1885-1929
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 65 ')
Report of a Liberal Democrat History Group meeting, 13 March 2009 at the Scottish Liberal Democrat Conference, with Professor Richard Finlay, Dr Catriona Macdonald and Jim Wallace. Chair: Robert Brown MSP.
The young Lloyd George and Wales
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 52 ')
Review of Emyr Price: David Lloyd George
Wales of the future
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 57 ')
Review of Dewi Rowland Hughes, Cymru Fydd
Comprehensive Liberal history
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 73 ')
Review of Robert Ingham and Duncan Brack (eds.), Peace, Reform and Liberation: A History of Liberal Politics in Britain 16792011.
Splendid Isolation? Britain and the Balance of Power 1874-1914.
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal Democrat History 28 ')
Review of John Charmley: Splendid Isolation? Britain and the Balance of Power 1874-1914.
'Women's rights and women's duties'
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 53 ')
Review of Ursula Masson, Women's Rights and Women's Duties: The Aberdare Women's Liberal Association, 1891-1910
British Liberalism and Irish Nationalism
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 59 ')
Review of Eugenio Biagini, British Democracy and Irish Nationalism, 1876-1906.
Gladstone 200
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 63 ')
The Gladstone 200 Campaign at St Deiniol's Library.
Review: Land and nation in England
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 65 ')
Review of Paul Readman, Patriotism, National Identity, and the Politics of Land, 1880-1914.
Secular intellectuals
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 73 ')
Review of William C. Lubenow, Liberal Intellectuals and Public Culture in Modern Britain, 1815-1914: Making Words Flesh.
Events
The Liberal Party, Unionism and political culture in late 19th and early 20th century Britain
Saturday 10 November 2012
A one-day seminar organised by Newman University College and the Journal of Liberal History.
...
Peace, Reform and Liberation: launch of new Liberal history book
Monday 19 September 2011
Peace, Reform and Liberation is a comprehensive history of Liberal politics in Britain.
...
Riding the tiger - the Liberal experience of coalition governments
Saturday 26 March 2011
A one day seminar organised by the Archives Division of the London School of Economics, the British Liberal Political Studies Group and the Journal of Liberal History.
...
Fighting Labour: the struggle for radical supremacy in Scotland 1885-1929
Friday 13 March 2009
The Liberal Democrat History Group is holding its first meeting in Scotland as part of the fringe at the Scottish Liberal Democrats' spring conference. The meeting will look back at the Liberal ...
Civil liberties in war and peace
Monday 24 January 2005
Law and order has long been a major issue in British politics.
...
The Legacy of Gladstone
Monday 20 July 1998
In the centenary year of Gladstones death, this meeting looked at three crucial aspects of the life of the most famous Liberal Prime Minister.
...
The Legacy of Gladstone
Wednesday 26 June 1996
Colin Matthew joint editor of the Gladstone Diaries; author of the definitive biographies, Gladstone 1809-1874 and Gladstone 1875-1898; Editor, Dictionary of National Biography.
...
Archives: libraries
Bodleian Library, University of Oxford
Archive Collections relating to Liberal history at the Bodleian Library ...
archive url: http://www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/bodley/library/specialcollections
Bristol University Library
The Liberal Party collections at the University of Bristol Library originate from the acquisition in 1976 of the Gladstone Library of the National Liberal Club ...
archive url: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/is/
Hull University Archives
The University of Hull's Brynmor Jones Library (BJL) has been collecting political archives and manuscripts ever since the foundation of the university, initially ...
archive url: http://www.hull.ac.uk/arc/
Manchester Archives and Local Studies
Liberal History Archives at Manchester Archives and Local Studies ...
archive url: http://www.manchester.gov.uk/libraries/arls/
National Library of Scotland
Sources in the Manuscripts Division of the National Library of Scotland for the study of the Liberals and Liberal Democrats ...
archive url: http://www.nls.uk/
National Library of Wales
Liberal Party Archives at the National Library of Wales ...
archive url: http://www.llgc.org.uk/
PhD theses
Arthur Markham (1866-1916): coal owner and Liberal M.P. for Mansfield, 1900-16
Leicester M.Phil. , 1991
Aspects of Liberal Unionist Party organisation, 1886-1895
Manchester M.A , 1973
British Liberal leaders and the United States, 1874-98
Oxford D. Phil. , 1982
British policy and diplomacy in the Near East during the Liberal administrations August 1892 to June 1895
Oxford D.Phil. , 1960
Conservatism and Liberal Unionism in Glasgow, 1874-1912
Dundee Ph.D. , 1983
English Liberal thought: problems of social reform, 1886-1914
Oxford D.Phil. , 1972
Factors and variations in Liberal and radical opinion on foreign policy, 1885-99
Oxford D.Phil. , 1950
For women, for Wales and for Liberalism: women in Liberal politics in Wales c.1883-1914
University of the West of England , 2007
Citation form:
PhD
Gladstone and whiggery: a study in Liberal leadership and politics, 1874-86
Cambridge Ph.D. , 1984
Gladstone's Fourth Ministry, 1892-94: policies and personalities
Cambridge Ph.D. , 1975
Gladstone, Irish nationalism and the Home Rule question, 1882-93, with particular reference to the Ulster problem
Trinity College Dublin Ph.D. , 1984
Inventing economic imperialism: British Liberals change their minds about capitalism and war
Supervisor - Professor Michael S. Freeden
Oxford, D.Phil , 2005
Joseph Chamberlain and the Unauthorized Programme
Oxford D.Phil. , 1970
Liberal and Labour politics in two Northumberland mining constituencies, 1885-1924
Council for National Academic Awards M.Phil. , 1989
Liberal Party organization and politics in Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton, 1886-1914, with particular reference to the devopment of independent labour representation
Birmingham Ph.D. , 1978
Liberalism and sociology: L.T. Hobhouse and political argument in England, 1880-1914
Cambridge Ph.D. , 1977
Liberals and the Home Rule issue, November 1885 - July 1886: the leaders and the rank and file, with special reference to certain localities
Cambridge Ph.D. , 1988
Lloyd George and Irish Home Rule, 1886-1914
Bristol M.Litt. , 1976
Lloyd George's pre-Parliamentary political career
Wales M.A. , 1974
Lord Rosebery and Scottish Nationalism 1868-1896
Edinburgh Ph.D. , 1996
Millicent Garrett Fawcett, 1867-94: 'an excellent guerrilla partisan'?
York, MA , 1998
Popular liberalism in the English counties, 1885-1906
Supervisor - Mr. John M. Prest
Oxford D.Phil. , 1997
Scotland and the Liberal Party, 1880-1900, church, Ireland and Empire: a family affair
Glasgow M.Litt. , 1978
Sir Jerom Murch: case study of a Unitarian liberal and his impact on the Bath community, 1833-95
Supervisor - Dr. David Brooke
Bath, Ph.D , 1996
Stuart Rendel (1834-1913) and his contribution to the development of a distinctly Welsh political programme within the Liberal Party between 1880 and 1895
Wales M.A. , 1977
The development of the Liberal Party in England, with special reference to the north-west, 1886- 1900
Oxford D.Phil. , 1971
The divisions of Liberalism: Newcastle politics, 1870-1902
Manchester Ph.D. , 1972
The education question and Liberal politics in N.E. England, 1868-1910
Newcastle M.Litt , 1985
The formation of Liberal Party policy, 1885-92
Wales Ph.D , 1972
The genesis and significance of the 1886 Home Rule split in the Liberal Party
Cambridge Ph.D. , 1964
The growth of Liberal organisation in Manchester from the 1860s to 1903
Manchester Ph.D. , 1956
The intellectual duke: George Douglas Campbell, 8th duke of Argyll, 1823-1900
Edinburgh University , 2006
Citation form:
Ph.D
The Liberal Party and foreign affairs, 1895-1905
London M.Phil. , 1969
The Liberal Party and South Africa, 1895-1902
Oxford D.Phil. , 1963
The Liberal Party and the House of Lords, 1880-1895
Wales M.A. , 1961
The Liberal Party in Scotland, 1885-95
London Ph.D. , 1962
The Liberal Party in W.Yorkshire, 1885-95
Leeds Ph.D., , 1979
The Liberal Party on Merseyside in the 19th century
Liverpool Ph.D. , 1968
The Liberal Press and the rise of Labour: a study, with particular reference to Leeds and Bradford, 1850-1895
Leeds Ph.D. , 1974
The Liberal Unionist Party until December 1887
Edinburgh Ph.D. , 1955
The New Liberalism and the challenge of Labour in the West Riding of Yorkshire, 1885-1914, with special reference to Huddersfield
Council for National Academic Awards Ph.D. , 1985
The Paradise Lost of liberalism: individualist political thought in late Victorian Britain
Oxford D.Phil. , 1989
The political and military career of Major-General J.E.B. Seely, 1868-1947
Southampton M.Phil. , 2001
http://www.history.ac.uk/ihr/Resources/Theses/tc02.html
The political career of Walter Runciman, 1st Viscount Runciman of Doxford 1870-1949
Newcastle upon Tyne Ph.D. , 1995
The radical thread - political change in Scotland: Paisley politics, 1885-1924.
Supervisor - Professor W. Hamish Fraser
Strathclyde, Ph.D , 1995
The Rev. James Brown Armour and Liberal politics in N. Antrim, 1869-1914
Belfast Ph.D. , 1979
The role of the Liberal Unionist party in British politics, 1886-95
London, Ph.D. , 1975
The Scottish Liberal Party, 1868-86
Strathclyde M.Litt. , 1975
The social and political activity of the Cadbury family: a study in manipulative capitalism
Supervisor - Professor Roy A. Lowe
Wales, Ph.D , 2002
The social and political development of Keighley, with special reference to the response of the Liberal Party to the rise of Labour, 1885-1914
Council for National Academic Awards Ph.D. , 1991
The transformation of urban Liberalism: Liberal politics in Leicester and Manchester, 1885-95
Supervisor - Dr. Peter C. Lowe
Manchester, Ph.D , 1999
The working library of William Ewart Gladstone
Supervisor - Dr. Jon M. Lawrence
Liverpool, Ph.D , 2003
W.E. Gladstone: the evolution of the Home Rule policy
Ireland, National University M.A. , 1971
Welsh Liberalism, 1868-96: a study in political structure and ideology
Oxford D.Phil. , 1984
Research
Dadabhai Naoroji
Dadabhai Naoroji (1825-1917) was an Indian nationalist and Liberal member for Central Finsbury, 1892-95 - the first Asian to be elected to the House of Commons. This research for a PhD at Harvard aims to produce both a biography of Naoroji and a volume of his selected correspondence, to be published by OUP India in 2013. The current phase concentrates on Naoroji's links with a range of British progressive organisations and individuals, particularly in his later career. Suggestions for archival sources very welcome.
Dinyar Patel
Contact: dinyar.patel@gmail.com or 07775 753 724
Four nations history of the Irish Home Rule crisis
A four nations history of the Irish Home Rule crisis, attempting to rebalance the existing Anglo-centric focus. Considering Scottish and Welsh reactions and the development of parallel Home Rule movements, along with how the crisis impacted on political parties across the UK. Sources include newspapers, private papers, Hansard.
Naomi Lloyd-Jones
Contact: naomi.n.lloyd-jones@kcl.ac.uk
Audio sources
William Gladstone: rare recording of him speaking
