First published as part of the best-selling The Oxford Illustrated History of Britain Christopher Harvie & Colin Matthew's Very Short Introduction to Nineteenth-Century Britain is a sharp but subtle account of remarkable economic & social change & an even more remarkable political stability Britain in 1789 was overwhelmingly rural agrarian multilingual & almost half Celtic By 1914 when it faced its greatest test since the defeat of Napoleon it was largely urban & English Christopher Harvie & Colin Matthew show the forces behind Britain's rise to its imperial zenith & the continuing tensions within the nations & classes of the 'union state' ABOUT THE SERIES The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly Our expert authors combine facts analysis perspective new ideas & enthusiasm to make interesting & challenging topics highly readable