British History: 1603-1815

The medieval pattern of English society disintegrated in the seventeenth century. The unity of the English Church, the relationship between Crown and Parliament, even the social hierarchy, were threatened by new developments. After generations of civil war, revolution, and party strife, the eighteenth century saw the establishment of an oligarchic but more flexible order, able to withstand the challenges of radicalism and the American and French revolutions. By 1815 Britain, at the peak of its power in Europe, was already beginning to experience tensions of industrialism. This course will concentrate on the religious, social, and political aspects of these transformations. Pre-1800. 2 hrs. lect., 1 hr. disc.