Social change in nineteenth century England- Wiener’s view of history
In 1983 every member of Margaret Thatcher’s cabinet received a copy of a book by Martin Wiener: English culture and the decline of the industrial spirit. In the book Wiener argued that early Victorian England had been an industrial powerhouse, but that this was short lived because traditional forces including public schools, the Church and a resurgent aristocracy fostered an anti-progressive environment. For example the Arts and Crafts movement championed by William Morris and John Ruskin was one where some people sneered at mass production and economic growth. For Wiener the late Victorians became villains in national decline in England, founding such heritage organisations as the National Trust and magazines like Country Life. A lot of businesses received no investment and the wealth on industrial capital was submerged into the passive wealth of land and property. Cycling, recreational walking and camping became popular as the countryside became a place of tradition, recupe...