预览加载中，请您耐心等待几秒...

TheslowdeclineoftheBritisharistocracy.doc

预览
1/6
2/6
3/6
4/6
5/6
6/6

在线预览结束，喜欢就下载吧，查找使用更方便

下载提示 文本预览

如果您无法下载资料，请参考说明：

1、部分资料下载需要金币，请确保您的账户上有足够的金币

2、已购买过的文档，再次下载不重复扣费

3、资料包下载后请先用软件解压，在使用对应软件打开

TheslowdeclineoftheBritisharistocracy,1868–ca.1930 ThearistocraticexperienceintheperiodbetweenthesecondReformActof1867andtheDepressionoftheearly1930sseemstohavebeenoverwhelminglyoneofdecline.Thisdeclinewasbynomeansall-pervasive(insignificantsocialdomainstheirpositionwasarguablystrengthened),norwasitonthewholeasdramaticascertainaspectsofitscourse(e.g.thedispersalanddissolutionoftheestates)mightsuggest.Finally,anddespitetheoddscandal(e.g.certainconfidence-trickstertypescamsanddubiousdealings),thearistocrats’declinedidnotyethitthelater20thcentury’srockbottom(Rushdie’s“aristo-trash”). RomanticshavewantedtointerprettheremarkableandremarkablyuncontestedlossofpoliticalandeconomicpowerofthetraditionalBritishrulingelite,astheirfinalandultimatemanifestationofnoblessobligeandfundamentalwisdomandhonour.Thistooseemssomewhatfar-fetched,tosaytheleast.TheBritisharistocracywasasaclassandaculturenobetterandnoworsethanmostotherrulinggroups,whattheydidhoweverexperience–togetherwitheveryothersegmentofBritishsociety–duringthesecondhalfofthe19thcenturyandthefirstdecadesofthe20th,wereprofoundsocial,economicandpoliticalchanges,andthesetheywerelesswell-adaptedtocopingwith,thantherisingupper-middleclasses,whowouldineffectusurptheirpositionasrulersofBritain(orarguablymergewithcertainsectionsofthearistocracytoformanewelite).WhythischangewasnotaccompaniedbyviolenceandrevolutionaryturmoilinBritain,asitwasinmanyotherEuropeannationstatesisnotsubjectofthisessay,andhenceIamnotgoingtodiscussthisinterestingbutpossiblyoverratedquestion.NoramIgoingtotrytounravelwhatitsupposedlywasaboutthesocio-culturalmake-upoftheBritisharistocracy,thatwouldcostititsone-timepositionasrulerandownerofBritain.Withoutwantingtodeprecatetheimportanceofcultureformostmeaningfulanalysesofsocietalphenomena,Ishallratherfocusoneconomicandpoliticalfactorsinthisessay,asitwasaboveall,onevitaleconomicandpoliticalfactorthatcharacterisedthearistocratandsethimasidefromthenon-aristocrat,assuredhispower,andwouldeventuallycausehisdeclineint