Lehrinhalte
In the autumn of 1879, the ex-Liberal party leader and Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone embarked on a lecture tour in the Scottish region of Midlothian to nurse his new constituency for the next parlamentary election. The campaign is widely seen as a watershed in political communication and political strategy. The speeches were widely reported in the press and attended by enthusiastic crowds in several cities.
Today, the speeches are often considered ponderous, long-winded and boring. However, we will be undaunted and read them all. The speeches delivered stinging attacks on the Conservative government of Lord Beaconsfield and were particularly notable for outlining a new approach to foreign and imperial policy. In dealing with the first Midlothian campaign, which made a vital contribution to returning Gladstone to the Prime Ministership, we will encounter the details of British domestic and foreign politics at the end of the 1870s, discuss questions from the history of political culture and communication, better understand political rhetoric of the Victorian age and approach questions of charismatic political leadership in the modern age.
Literatur
The Midlothian Campaign features in all biographies of Gladstone, so to use any of them for preparation will be fine.
For a brief overview of Gladstone's political career:
Winstanley, Michael J.: Gladstone and the Liberal Party, London 1990.
For Gladstonian popular liberalism:
Biagini, Eugenio: Liberty, Retrenchment and Reform. Popular Liberalism in the Age of Gladstone, Cambridge 1992.
More specialised literature will be provided during the course.
In the autumn of 1879, the ex-Liberal party leader and Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone embarked on a lecture tour in the Scottish region of Midlothian to nurse his new constituency for the next parlamentary election. The campaign is widely seen as a watershed in political communication and political strategy. The speeches were widely reported in the press and attended by enthusiastic crowds in several cities.
Today, the speeches are often considered ponderous, long-winded and boring. However, we will be undaunted and read them all. The speeches delivered stinging attacks on the Conservative government of Lord Beaconsfield and were particularly notable for outlining a new approach to foreign and imperial policy. In dealing with the first Midlothian campaign, which made a vital contribution to returning Gladstone to the Prime Ministership, we will encounter the details of British domestic and foreign politics at the end of the 1870s, discuss questions from the history of political culture and communication, better understand political rhetoric of the Victorian age and approach questions of charismatic political leadership in the modern age.
Literatur
The Midlothian Campaign features in all biographies of Gladstone, so to use any of them for preparation will be fine.
For a brief overview of Gladstone's political career:
Winstanley, Michael J.: Gladstone and the Liberal Party, London 1990.
For Gladstonian popular liberalism:
Biagini, Eugenio: Liberty, Retrenchment and Reform. Popular Liberalism in the Age of Gladstone, Cambridge 1992.
More specialised literature will be provided during the course.
- Lehrende: Detlev Mares
Semester: ST 2020