National Character and Public Spirit in Britain and France, 1750 1914

By: Roberto Romani

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Paperback | 17 March 2006

At a Glance

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360 Pages

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22.86 x 15.24 x 2.03

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In a work of unusual ambition and rigorous comparison, Roberto Romani considers the concept of 'national character' in the intellectual histories of Britain and France. Perceptions of collective mentalities influenced a variety of political and economic debates, ranging from anti-absolutist polemic in eighteenth-century France to appraisals of socialism in Edwardian Britain. Romani argues that the eighteenth-century notion of 'national character', with its stress on climate and government, evolved into a concern with the virtues of 'public spirit' irrespective of national traits, in parallel with the establishment of representative institutions on the Continent. His discussion of contemporary thinkers includes Montesquieu, Voltaire, Hume, Millar, Burke, Constant, de Stael and Tocqueville. After the mid-nineteenth century, the advent of social scientific approaches, including those of Spencer, Hobson and Durkheim, shifted the focus from the qualities required by political liberty to those needed to operate complex social systems, and to bear its psychological pressures.

Industry Reviews

'Romani has written a first-class study of a fascinating and enduring problem ... this book asks fundamental questions regarding the relationship between morality and political freedom. By placing these debates in a context that is both historical and comparative Romani has laid bare the obstinate complexity of the problems posed by the notion of national character.' The European Legacy 'The content of the book is dense and detailed ... a significant contribution ...' American Historical Review 'The ambitiousness of its sweep through more than 150 years of Anglo-French intellectual history is easily apparent ... [it is] based on an impressively broad array of primary materials.' Stephen Heathorn, H-Albion 'Romani opens up new vistas on terrain that has become over familiar in some cases and remained obscure in others.' European Journal of Political Theory '... stirring and critical account ... Romani's wide-ranging, sufficiently argued, comprehensive study would be of respective interest to every historian of economic thought aspiring to a different reading of economic ideas against their intellectual and cultural context.' History of Economic Ideas

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You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction Politics & Government Political Ideologies & Movements Nationalism Sociology & Anthropology Society & Culture Cultural Studies History of Ideas History Regional & National History European History British & Irish History

Earliest Times to Present Day Modern History from 1700 to 1900

Acknowledgements
Introduction
France
All Montesquieu's sons: the place of esprit g©n©ral, caractre national, and mÅôurs in French political philosophy, 1748âÇô1789
After the Revolution: Sta½l on political morality
From republicanism to industrialism and national character: Melchiorre Gioja, Charles Dupin and Continental political economy, 1800âÇô1848
The French Restoration dispute over mores and Tocqueville
Great Britain
Between Whiggism and the science of manners: Britain, 1750âÇô1800
British views on Irish national character, 1800âÇô1846

The demise of John Bull: social sciences in Britain, 1850âÇô1914
Durkheim's collective representation and their background
Socializing public spirit, 1870âÇô1914
Conclusion
Index
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

National Character and Public Spirit in Britain and France, 1750 1914

At a Glance

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