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.
| ISBN: | 9781108841634 |
| Publication date: | 28th January 2021 |
| Author: | Max University of Liverpool Skjönsberg |
| Publisher: | Cambridge University Press |
| Format: | Hardback |
| Pagination: | 350 pages |
| Series: | Ideas in Context |
| Genres: |
European history Political parties and party platforms Political science and theory Social and political philosophy |
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.
The Persistence of Party features in the following genres: European history, Political parties and party platforms, Political science and theory, Social and political philosophy
The Persistence of Party is available in Hardback
The Persistence of Party was written by Max University of Liverpool Skjönsberg and published by Cambridge University Press
The Persistence of Party has 350 pages
Yes it is part of Ideas in Context series
£78.30