Augmenting Democracy: Political Movements and Constitutional Reform During the Rise of Labour, 1900-1924

An interpretation of British radical, suffrage-feminist and socialist movements during the first quarter of the 20th century, based on analysis of their visions of democratic constitutional reform. The author argues that a shared discourse of radical constitutionalism allowed these groups to forge alliances based upon a common preoccupation with extending and improving constitutional democracy. The text offers a significant contribution to current methodological debates around the importance of language and discourse in history and political science. It is a detailed study which integrates material on three important constitutional campaigns of this era: the reform of the House of Lords, women's suffrage, and proportional representation. It should be of interest to students of British politics, social and political history, historical methodology and political theory.