Cereals and Social Stability. A Note on 18th Century Britain

Authors

  • Franco M. Di Sciullo University of Messina

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.1825-9618/17697

Keywords:

18th Century Great Britain, Governamentality, Adam Smith, E.P. Thompson, J. Bohstedt

Abstract

The essay addresses the political implications of popular disturbances occasioned by the waves of bad harvests and periodic grain shortages in Britain during the XVIIIth century. The debate and the documents of the time do not seem to validate the critical hypotheses connected with the Foucaultian idea of governmentality or with the Smithian defence of free trade in grain. More fruitful are the theses of E.P. Thompson and J. Bohstedt, both related to the relationship between subsistence, deference and social stability. Measures relating to "spirituous liquors" and popular reaction to them are also considered.

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Published

2023-09-28

How to Cite

Di Sciullo, F. M. (2023). Cereals and Social Stability. A Note on 18th Century Britain. Scienza & Politica. Per Una Storia Delle Dottrine, 35(68), 177–196. https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.1825-9618/17697

Issue

Vol. 35 No. 68 (2023): Mass Violence, Collective Memories and Political Action (Edited by Luca Scuccimarra and Gianni Ruocco)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2023 Franco M. Di Sciullo

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.