England in the Eighteen Eighties

First published in 1945, this volume compares the theoretical panic and practical confusion of its present time to that of the eighteen-eighties and looks to it for direction and inspiration. Following the decade, the Reynolds' Newspaper commented that "Eighteen seventy-nine is gone, and we all have reason to be thankful that it is now only a record". The decade faced challenges in agriculture, a bitter parliament, war on two continents, stagnant commerce and changing social norms. 1879 in particular was a year combining more circumstances of misfortune and depression than any within general experience at the time. Then, as in 1945, there was a new sense of being in the dark, surrounded by the unknown. H.M. Lynd hoped to gain some insight into possible directions of change from a study of this critical period.

1. The Eighteen-Eighties. Part I. Changes in the 'Eighties. 2. Material Environment. 3. Environment of Ideas. 4. Intruding Events. 5. Signs of Change. Part II. Role of Social Institutions in Change. 6. Political Parties. 7. Organized Labor. 8. Religion. 9. Education. 10. Organization for Change. 11. Toward Positive Freedom.