The persistence of party: ideas of harmonious discord in eighteenth-century Britain

Max Simon Skjoensberg

Research output: Book/ReportBook

Abstract

Political parties are taken for granted today, but how was the idea of party viewed in the eighteenth century, when core components of modern, representative politics were trialled? From Bolingbroke to Burke, political thinkers regarded party as a fundamental concept of politics, especially in the parliamentary system of Great Britain. The paradox of party was best formulated by David Hume: while parties often threatened the total dissolution of the government, they were also the source of life and vigour in modern politics. In the eighteenth century, party was usually understood as a set of flexible and evolving principles, associated with names and traditions, which categorised and managed political actors, voters, and commentators. Max Skjönsberg thus demonstrates that the idea of party as ideological unity is not purely a nineteenth- or twentieth-century phenomenon but can be traced to the eighteenth century.
Original languageEnglish
Place of PublicationCambridge
PublisherCambridge University Press
Number of pages373
ISBN (Electronic)9781108894500
ISBN (Print)9781108841634, 9781108794992
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 28 Jan 2021

Publication series

NameIdeas in context

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