The Nineteenth-Century Constitution 1815-1914

Book excerpt: This companion to Elton: The Tudor Constitution, Kenyon: The Stuart Constitution and Williams: The Eighteenth Century Constitution is a collection of documents illustrating constitutional, political, administrative and ecclesiastical history. Professor Hanham lays special emphasis on constitutional theory and the party system, because, during the nineteenth century, men were consciously remoulding the character of their institutions and parliamentary government meant government by party. There are also important sections on the development of the new career civil service and the central departments of government. The 310 documents come from a wide range of published and unpublished sources. They have been arranged under the following headings: The Theory of the Constitution, Cabinet Government, Parliament, Parties and Elections, Central and Local Administration, The Administration of Justice, Church and State, and Ireland. Professor Hanham has provided introductions to each section of documents, relating them to the major political developments and debates of the period.