Social class in Britain, 1770–1914

Abstract

This essay examines changes and adaption of social class in Britain throughout the long nineteenth century. The essay argues that class while not a catch all for British Society in this period, is still a key concept in historical and political understanding of the period. The essay examines evidence about wealth and occupation that seeks to present a sense of the shape of British society and to track how it changed across the long nineteenth century arguing that class is an active and dynamic force that affected political and cultural life.