Aristocracy and the Modern World
eBook - PDF

Aristocracy and the Modern World

  1. 304 pages
  2. English
  3. PDF
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Aristocracy and the Modern World

About this book

Ellis Wasson offers one of the first comprehensive studies of the European ruling class during the 19th and 20th centuries. Distilling a wealth of recent research, Wasson analyses the role of aristocracy in modern times, focusing on the tensions that exist between egalitarian values and the way elites shape society.

Wasson explodes myths and jettisons stereotypes in sweeping coverage that takes the story from the Congress of Vienna to Stalingrad. The study recounts the change from the genteel world of court balls to Café Society and finally on to Eurotrash. It also contrasts the paradox of continued aristocratic social power and cultural leadership with the gradual decline in their political authority.

Aristocracy and the Modern World covers key topics, such as:
- The fabulous wealth of the great magnates
- The relationship between servants and masters
- Interaction with the middle classes
- Concepts of honour
- Culture, recreation and gender
- Local authority and national power.

Lively and authoritative, the book reviews developments in Scandinavia, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, France, Italy and Spain as well as in Britain, Germany and Russia. It is essential reading for all those with an interest in modern European history.

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Information

Publisher
Red Globe Press
Year
2017
Print ISBN
9781403940735
eBook ISBN
9781137040299
Edition
1
Topic
Geschichte
Subtopic
EuropÀische Geschichte
The 
Beau 
Monde: 
Culture 
and 
Society 
103
In 
1840 
Lady 
Charlotte 
Fox 
deplored 
the 
arrival 
of 
the 
cheap 
and 
democratic 
penny 
post. 
“It 
goes 
to 
my 
heart 
to 
see 
disappear 
all 
the 
little 
privileges, 
the 
prestige
that 
we 
enjoyed 
– 
but 
low 
Vulgar 
penny 
wise 
and 
pound 
foolish 
ideas 
are 
the 
order 
of 
the 
day.”
97
Aristocrats, 
like 
everyone 
else 
in 
the 
nineteenth 
century, 
had 
to 
adjust 
to 
cultural 
modernization, 
universal 
education, 
rapid 
changes 
in 
technology, 
and 
a 
broadening 
of 
conceptions 
of 
social 
equality. 
In 
1851 
an 
English 
aristocratic 
ofïŹcer 
was 
sent 
to 
hard 
labor 
in 
prison 
for 
striking 
a 
policeman. 
Pierre 
Simoni’s 
innovative 
study 
of 
aristocratic 
obituaries 
in 
Provence 
suggests 
that 
the 
nobility 
retained 
cultural 
importance 
and 
social 
power. 
However, 
as 
time 
went 
on, 
the 
“oldness” 
of 
a 
sub-
ject’s 
family 
was 
mentioned 
less 
frequently 
and 
more 
emphasis 
was 
placed 
on 
achievements 
and 
being 
productive. 
Admiration 
was 
directed 
at 
those 
who 
had 
moved 
up 
in 
society 
and 
been 
go-getters.
98
The 
social, 
economic, 
and 
political 
challenge 
of 
the 
middle 
classes 
was 
at 
hand.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Half Title
  3. Title
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Contents
  7. Acknowledgments
  8. Introduction
  9. 1 Defi ning Aristocracy
  10. 2 The Ancien RĂ©gime
  11. 3 Wealth
  12. 4 Family and Honor
  13. 5 The Beau Monde: Culture and Society
  14. 6 Swallowing the Toad: The Aristocracy and the Middle Classes
  15. 7 The Habit of Authority: Local Power
  16. 8 Eagles and Peacocks: National Power
  17. 9 Aristocide, 1917-1945
  18. 10 Where Are They Now? 1945-2005
  19. 11 Vital Memories
  20. Notes
  21. References
  22. Index

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Yes, you can access Aristocracy and the Modern World by Ellis Wasson in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Geschichte & EuropÀische Geschichte. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.