Aristocracy and the Modern World

by Ellis Wasson

Overview

This is the first comprehensive study of the traditional European ruling class during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Distilling the wealth of recent research for students and general readers, Wasson analyzes the role of aristocracy, focusing on the tensions that exist between modern egalitarian values and the way elites shape society. Topics include: wealth, family, conceptions of honour, relations with other classes, culture, recreation, gender, local authority and national power. Individual studies enliven the text.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781403940735
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	09/01/2006
Edition description:	2006
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.69(d)

About the Author

ELLIS WASSON is Chair, History Department at Tower Hill School and Adjunct Professor of History at the University of Delaware, USA.
ELLIS WASSON is Chair, History Department at Tower Hill School and Adjunct Professor of History at the University of Delaware, USA.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Introduction
Defining Aristocracy
The Ancien Regime
Wealth
Family and Honour
The Beau Monde: Culture and Society
Swallowing the Toad: Meeting the Middle Classes
The Habit of Authority: Local Power
Eagles and Peacocks: National Power
Aristocide 1917-1945
Where Are They Now? 1945-2000
Vital Memories
Notes
Bibliography
Index.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

An admirable and highly original piece of work – well-written, extremely well-researched, consistently informative.' – William D. Rubinstein, University of Wales Aberystwyth, UK

'An important, well written, and well researched book.' – Gordon Mork, Purdue University, USA

Editorial Reviews

" [Wasson's] command of recent historiography makes the work a useful read... Recommended." CHOICE"

From the Publisher