Maurice Cowling was one of the most controversial historians and thinkers of the last 50 years and a key figure in modern British Conservatism. His work on intellectual and political history challenged conventional understanding of the political process and those liberal and secular ideas so pervasive in modern Britain. Here leading scholars disclose Cowling's vision of British democracy and place it within its broader intellectual context.
Cowling's work assaulted conventional assumptions about modern thought and stressed the value of a specifically Conservative approach for understanding past problems and contemporary predicaments. His writings on political history challenged existing understandings of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and delineated the motivations and power of the political elite. His studies in intellectual history constructed a bold critique of modern liberalism and highlighted the enduring importance of Christianity in British society.
Robert Crowcroft, S. J. D. Green and Richard Whiting here bring together perspectives from religion, philosophy and politics to focus on Cowling's work and its context, looking at the connection between Cowling and the leading Conservative philosopher Michael Oakeshott, the impact of Cowling's ideas about the nature of politics and the way they are reported through journalism, and the relationship between Conservatism and Liberalism. They consider Cowling's views on the scope of historical understanding and whether the tools most frequently used to understand political activity are the most appropriate for doing so. Further, they evaluate the place of Christianity in social thought and how Cowling's Conservative ideas might inform future patterns of thinking.
This book provides a powerful multi-disciplinary explanation of Conservative thought about public life in modern Britain, and sheds light upon the interface between philosophy, politics, religion and British democracy.
Maurice Cowling was one of the most controversial historians and thinkers of the last 40 years and a key figure in modern British Conservatism. His work on intellectual and political history assaulted conventional understanding of the political process and challenged the liberal and secular ideas which have been so pervasive in modern Britain. Here, leading scholars disclose Cowling’s vision of British democracy and place it in its broader intellectual context. This book therefore provides a powerful multi-disciplinary explanation of Conservative thought about public life in modern Britain, and sheds light upon the interface between philosophy, politics, religion and British democracy.
Arvustused
'This is a compelling volume. Its central point - that Cowling was a far more important influence than has been recognised, and that his ideas remain pertinent - is well made and strongly supported. The book strikes a good balance between the three elements central to Cowling's work - the philosophy of history, political history, and religion. It will reward those who read it very richly.' - Professor Andrew Thorpe, Department of History, University of Exeter, UK
| Acronyms and Abbreviations |
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vii | |
| Acknowledgements |
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viii | |
| Introduction: The Significance of Cowling |
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1 | (12) |
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1 Maurice Cowling: A Brief Life |
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13 | (14) |
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PART I THE PHILOSOPHY OF HISTORY |
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2 Liberlism, Conservatism and Oakeshott in Cowling's Account of Public Doctrine |
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27 | (15) |
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3 Subjectivity, Civility, Ecclesiasticality |
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42 | (23) |
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65 | (20) |
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PART II THE PRACTICE OF POLITICAL HISTORY |
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5 Herbert Butterfield and Maurice Cowling |
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85 | (23) |
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6 Maurice Cowling and Modern British Political History |
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108 | (45) |
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7 `High Politics', Political Practice and the Labour Party |
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153 | (36) |
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PART III RELIGION IN THE AGE OF SECULARIZATION |
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8 `As if Religion Mattered': An Alternative Reading of English Intellectual History since c. 1840 |
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189 | (34) |
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9 The Anglican Mind of Maurice Cowling |
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223 | (47) |
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10 Conclusion: The Imapct of Cowling |
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270 | (27) |
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| Bibliography |
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297 | (20) |
| Notes on Contributors |
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317 | (2) |
| Index |
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319 | |
Robert Crowcroft completed his Ph.D. at the University of Leeds in 2007, and currently teaches in the School of History. He is the author of Attlee's War, forthcoming with I.B.Tauris, and has published several articles and essays, including 'The High PoliticsA" of Labour Party factionalism, 1950-55', in Historical Research (2008). S. J. D. Green is Reader in Modern British History at the University of Leeds and fellow of All Souls College, Oxford. He is author of Religion in the Age of Decline: Organisation and Experience in Industrial Yorkshire c. 1870-1920 (Cambridge University Press, 1996) and The Passing of Protestant England: Secularisation and Social Change c.1920-1960 (forthcoming, Cambridge University Press). Richard Whiting is Professor of Modern British History at the University of Leeds and author of The Labour Party and Taxation (Cambridge University Press, 2001).
