The Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy

Rating:
Summary: The Bible on class in England
Review: This book is considered to be the very Bible on the recent history of the Bristih aristocracy, and so it is a must-read by anyone who is interested in the subject. However, there are some fairly serious problems with it.

I read it in the contect of Mr. Cannadine's vindictive and pointless "Aspects of Aristocracy," and so I found it hard not to keep in mind that Mr. Cannadine obviously and openly finds it difficult to overcome his biases. At least this book, unlike "Aspects" was obviously carefully researched... though it is also obvious that he overlooks much of what he found.

Mr. Cannadine concentrates primarily on the economic downfall of the aristocracy, and I think that he over-emphasises some causes while not emphasising others. There were also some figures that didn't make sense, and when I consulted an economics major that I knew I found them to be severely fudged towards Mr. Cannadine's thesis. He is eager to blame the aristocracy for their decline, and although some of these charges are true I think that he does not place enough emphasis on the external forces (mentioned in other reviews) which contributed to the declining importance and wealth of the English aristocracy.

So, this book is worth reading if you are interested in the subject, if only because you will be expected to have read it. However, it should be read extremely critically, and it is worth checking up on Mr. Cannadine's claims with a variety of sources. I find it interesting that most of the other reviews on this page are quite critical of the book, while giving it a high star rating... perhaps most readers like it because they are supposed to, and not because it actually offers valuable history?

It is also interesting to note that Mr. Cannadine has recently made a complete about-face, and his last two books have been extremely complimentary towards the aristocracy and their influences and contributions to English life. Perhaps he is angleing for a lifetime peerage?