Government and the Railways in Nineteenth-Century Britain / Henry Parris.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Parris, Henry, Author.

Series:

Heritage

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Railroads and state--Great Britain.

Railroads and state.

Railroads--Great Britain--History.

Railroads.

Great Britain.

Genre:

History.

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (265 pages)

Place of Publication:

Toronto : University of Toronto Press, [2019]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

Railways presented nineteenth century governments with political as well as economic problems: their inherently monopolistic tendencies were recognized almost from the start. Hence the widely accepted notions of laissez-faire did not apply. The book traces government regulation of British railways from its beginnings in 1840. Based on departmental records, the private papers of politicians and administrators, and the archives of the companies themselves, it shows how far state intervention could go even in an age of individualism. For the student of government, it throws new light on the process of administrative decision-making, the sources of legislation and the workings of interest groups. Historians will find accounts of the origin of administrative law and the working of the civil service in the last days of patronage. For those interested primarily in railways, the book shows the influence of government on the development of such devices as interlocking signals, block working and continuous brakes.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Plates

Preface / Parris, Henry

Conventions and Abbreviations Used in the Text

1. The Need for Government Action

2. The Early Years of the Railway Department, 1840-1844

3. The Railway Board and Its Aftermath, 1844-1846

4. The Commissioners of Railways, 1846-1851

5. The Railway Department, 1851-1867

6. Relations with the Companies

7. Railways in the Theory of Government

Epilogue: 1868-1914

Appendix A. Presidents and Vice-Presidents of the Board of Trade, 1840-1867

Appendix B. The Commissioners of Railways

Appendix C. Higher Civil Servants with Responsibility for Regulation of Railways 1840-1867

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 26. Nov 2019)

ISBN:

1-4875-8018-5

OCLC:

1129143225