Download or read book Penny Loaves and Butter Cheap: Britain In 1846 written by Stephen Bates and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2014-02-27 with total page 335 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Britain in 1846 was a nation in the grip of dramatic change. As the Industrial Revolution reached its height, people were flooding from countryside to city; the railways were spreading; starvation and destitution existed alongside immense wealth and power, generating profound social tensions. And seismic change was afoot in the world of politics. Parliament's repeal of the protectionist Corn Laws eroded the powers of the landowners and ushered in an age of free trade that would form the basis of Britain's future wealth and industiral prosperity. Stephen Bates paints a kaleidoscopic portrait of a pivotal year in British history – and of a society on the cusp of modernity.