Conflict and Compromise

First published in 1982, this study explores the dynamics of class formation during the vital decades between 1830 and 1914, when a rising urban industrial order was developing in complex interdependence with a declining rural agrarian order. The book follows the divergent paths of two cities - Birmingham and Sheffield - in their social development. These paths reflect the complex process of conflict and compromise as the 'old' order was gradually replaced by the 'new'. It studies in detail many aspects of social life that were affected by these changes such as education, public administration, political structures, public administration, religion, the professions, popular culture and family. This book will be of interest to those studying Victorian history and sociology.

Dennis Smith

Chapter 1 'But here the Towns are':, Dennis Smith; Chapter 2 Between Neighbourhood and Nation, Dennis Smith; Chapter 3 Their Brutal, Bloated, Mindless Faces ...' Class Structures and Institutional Orders in Birmingham and Sheffield 1830-70, Dennis Smith; Chapter 4 From Conflict to Equipoise, Dennis Smith; Chapter 5 'The Training up of Well-Educated, Sober, Loyal and Obedient Servants', Dennis Smith; Chapter 6 Mechanics and Medical Men, Dennis Smith; Chapter 7 'Old Fashioned Ideas and Customs', Dennis Smith; Chapter 8 Mastering our Educators, Dennis Smith; Chapter 9 'A Noisy Street in the Middle of a Smoky Town', Dennis Smith; Chapter 10 Coalescence, Conflict and Compromise, Dennis Smith; Chapter 11 'A Serious Danger to the Upper Classes', Dennis Smith;