{"product_id":"the-representative-of-the-people-voters-and-voting-in-england-under-the-early-stuarts-paperback-9780521019880","title":"The Representative of the People?; Voters and Voting in England under the Early Stuarts (Paperback \/ softback) 9780521019880","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eThe Representative of the People?\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eVoters and Voting in England under the Early Stuarts\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDr Hirst examines politics from the point of view of the ordinary man before the Civil War.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eDerek Hirst (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9780521019880, Cambridge University Press\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003ePaperback \/ softback, published 15 September 2005\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e320 pages\u003cbr\u003e22.9 x 15.2 x 1.9 cm, 0.504 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eContested elections became a fact of political life for the first time in early-17th-century England as the gentry pressed for seats in a parliament which was growing increasingly important. Dr Hirst examines politics from the point of view of the ordinary man before the Civil War. He asks what an election and being represented meant: what kind of person voted; how did he vote and why; and what might he gain by it. England was not yet shaped in the oligarchic mould that characterised it in the 18th century, and a striking feature of this period was the extent to which parliamentary politics was open to a large social group. Inflation and peasant survival on the land, and resistance to oligarchy in the boroughs (supported by the parliamentary gentry seeking popular allies for their own political battles), produced a broad rural and urban electorate. The need for votes also ensured that members were relatively responsive to, and representative of, pressures from below. In arriving at this verdict, Dr Hirst challenges the notion that politics in this period displayed a strong sense of direction. At all levels, whether in the means of control employed by the magnates, in electoral procedure, or in voting behaviour, uncertainty was manifest, for contests were unprecedented.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eAcknowledgements\u003cbr\u003e Abbreviations and notes\u003cbr\u003e 1. Introduction\u003cbr\u003e Part I. The Electorate: 2. The county electorate\u003cbr\u003e 3. The borough franchise disputes\u003cbr\u003e 4. The support of the House of Commons\u003cbr\u003e 5. The urban voters\u003cbr\u003e Part II. Elections: 6. Control and independence in voting\u003cbr\u003e 7. The electorate and politics\u003cbr\u003e Part III. After the Election: 8. Local benefits and taxes\u003cbr\u003e 9. Accountability and national politics\u003cbr\u003e 10. Conclusion\u003cbr\u003e Appendices\u003cbr\u003e Notes\u003cbr\u003e Bibliography\u003cbr\u003e Index.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eSubject Areas: History [\u003ca title=\"See our other books on History\" href=\"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/search?q=%22History%20%5BHB%5D%22\"\u003eHB\u003c\/a\u003e]\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Cambridge University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45913312526616,"sku":"9780521019880","price":22.78,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0730\/2037\/5320\/products\/9780521019880i.jpg?v=1694963444","url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/the-representative-of-the-people-voters-and-voting-in-england-under-the-early-stuarts-paperback-9780521019880","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}