Anti-democracy in England, 1570-1642 /
"This book is a detailed study of anti-democratic ideas in early modern England. By examining the rich variety of debates that took place between 1570 and 1642 about democracy, it shows the key importance anti-democratic language held in the late Tudor and early Stuart periods. In particular, i...
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| Format: | eBook |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Oxford :
Oxford University Press,
2022.
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| Edition: | First edition. |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Connect to the full text of this electronic book |
| Summary: | "This book is a detailed study of anti-democratic ideas in early modern England. By examining the rich variety of debates that took place between 1570 and 1642 about democracy, it shows the key importance anti-democratic language held in the late Tudor and early Stuart periods. In particular, it argues that anti-democratic critiques were addressed at ‘popular government' as a regime that empowered directly and fully the irrational, uneducated, dangerous commonalty; it explains why and how criticism of democracy was articulated in the contexts here under scrutiny; and it demonstrates that the early modern era is far more relevant to the development of democratic concepts and practices than has hitherto been acknowledged. The study of anti-democracy is carried out through a close textual analysis of sources often neglected in the history of political thought and by way of a contextual approach to Elizabethan, Jacobean, and Caroline history. Most importantly, the book re-evaluates the role of religion and cultural factors in the history of democracy and of political ideas more generally. The point of departure is at a time when the establishment and Presbyterians were at loggerheads on pivotal politico-ecclesiastical and theoretical matters; the end coincides with the eruption of the Civil Wars. The book not only places the unexplored issue of anti-democracy at the centre of historiographical work on early modern England but also offers a novel analysis of a precious portion of Western political reflection and an ideal platform to discuss the legacy of principles that are still fundamental today"--Publisher's description. |
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| Physical Description: | 1 online resource (vi, 282 pages) |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9780191956850 0191956856 |