The History of the European Family: Family life in the long nineteenth century (1789-1913)

The history of the family lies at the heart of the 'new social history' which has, over recent years, shifted the historiographical focus from political history and elites to the changing life experience of ordinary people. Blending research techniques drawn from the social sciences with perspectives provided by developments in cultural and gender history and the history of sexuality, leading scholars provide a definitive picture of the nature of family life in Europe and the forces that have shaped it. The second volume in this three-volume series takes the story from the French Revolution to the First World War, a period in which Europe was transformed politically and economically. Industrialisation, new technology, the growth of cities, the revolution in transport and communication: what effect did these changes have on the day-to-day life of ordinary people? And how did the family, the vital social unit which determined not only how and where people lived, but often where they worked, adapt to the demands of the new economy? In a stimulating introduction the editors explore these questions and show how and why family life changed in the nineteenth century, and how and why famil