This book is not a chronological narrative of ministries and wars, but a history of the development of the English society. The ministries and wars, of course, have their place, but no greater a place than the economic, cultural, and social history of the time.  

          For the sake of convenience the book is divided into three chapters: Ages of Walpole, of Chatham, and of Pitt,  but there are many themes or aspects of history and society which cannot be confined to one period  and these are dealt with at the time when they became dominant theme in English life.

CONTENTS:

PART I – THE AGE OF WALPOLE
1. The structure of Society, 1714-42
2. Trade and Wealth, 1714-42
3. Science and Culture of the Augustan Age
4. Local Government and Politics
5. The Professions
6. Whitehall
7. The Rise of Sir Robert Walpole, 1715-22
8. Sir Robert Walpole, 1722-33
9. Sir Robert Walpole and the Patriots, 1733-42

PART II – THE AGE OF CHATHAM
1. The Agrarian and Industrial Revolutions, 1742-84
2. The Social Consequences of the Industrial Revolution
3. John Wesley and the Road to Salvation
4. The Arts and Sciences of Dr Johnson’s World
5. Chatham and the Drive for Empire
6. George III and John Wilkes
7. The Loss of the American Colonies
8. Radicalism and Reform, 1770-84

PART III – THE AGE OF PITT
1. The Course of the Industrial Revolution, 1784-1815
2. The Reception of the French Revolution
3. Art and Science, 1784-1815
4. The British in India
5. The Irish Empire
6. William Pitt and the National Revival
7. The War at Sea, 1793-1802
8. The War on Land, 1802-15