The Political Writings of Richard Cobden

The collected writings (1867) of the great classical-liberal theorist, campaigner for popular education, and advocate for international co-operation and peace.

Richard Cobden (Author)

9781108036726, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 15 December 2011

456 pages
21.6 x 14 x 2.6 cm, 0.58 kg

Richard Cobden (1804–65) was the leading liberal thinker of his generation, and it was primarily through his efforts that the Corn Laws were repealed and that classical liberalism became the dominant political theory of the United Kingdom for over half a century. His first pamphlet was published in 1835 and his last in 1862. This collection was published two years after his death, and was regularly reprinted on both sides of the Atlantic well into the twentieth century. Volume 2 contains Cobden's later writings. With a background of war in the Crimea and the United States, his emphasis shifts from advocating free trade to the need to promote international treaties and co-operation. In his final work, The Three Panics, he is able to use the experience gained while negotiating a commercial treaty with France to highlight the folly of the anti-French hysteria that still frequently erupted in Britain.

Letter to Henry Ashworth, Esq.
How wars are got up in India
What next - and next?
The three panics: an historical episode
Appendix
Index.

Subject Areas: Political science & theory [JPA]