is isbn: 9780007228850, and is a slightly nicer book to read in hardback opposed to the paperback and takes not so long to get into the period as with the authors first book (reviewed here) but your experience might vary.
It is another book by William Hague [wiki], and is funny to read at times, for many of the ‘issues’ of the 1780’s could be now, for instance sunday as a ’special’ day. Drinking (although cholera is a nice disease to die from) and asbo’s it appears have always been a part of ‘british’ life.
Wilberforce is an odd character it strikes the monkey house – sometimes a lunatic of religion other times a loyal allay to Younger PItt and others, but who got the message that serving god without the human compromise means your a weirdo so he some common sense.
Wilberforce was the force behind the campaign to abolish slavery which is something the Muslims/Africans permitted and which even Pitt the younger thought needed international approval to be effective as a ban with the then superpowers. Fighting wars on three continents, a mad king and other issues kept him rather busy despite pushing through anti slavery legislation.
However unlikely that was in reality meant that Wilberforce got the credit when the leglisation to stop slavery passed into english law even though the slave trade was something that was never a major part of the uk economy and an offshore industry for a few.
Wilberforce was a true independent of parliament (Hull* and then Yorkshire) who despite the odd views was a humanist and happy to speak his mind on wrongs so is deserving of a book but the slaving subject matter leaves me cold. The problem is that Pitt the younger was right and intentions of just one country mean little.
Some portray Wilberforce as the man who can do no wrong, cue that slavery hymn, whips and that tv series and the odd hammy film (imdb tt0454776 [not seen so best avoid] ) and wala you got a ‘hero’. The reality is that he was one of a team who saw the wrong and pursued it for a lifetime.
Its funny that we all look to France or America for liberty but pour scorn on the british empire when those two powers decided to continue slaving after the British took steps to actively stop the trade (which the african leaders of the time where annoyed at)
It is interesting that despite the man’s efforts the feeble minded church fold have to end up doing stupid stunts like this today (my blog). Malthus (my blog) is also a book that should be rammed up a few peoples bottoms even today.
An interesting and informing read none the less 3/5 bananas.
* how the mighty fall – John Prescott is there mp.