History and Society: Essays by R.H. Tawney

by R.H. Tawney (Editor)

R. H. Tawney believed that the subject of economic history raises questions which touch the fundamental concerns of all thinking people. By setting economic development firmly within the framework of cultural and political life, he provided an alternative to the recent fragmentation of economic history into a number of increasingly technical specialisms.

First published as a collection in 1978, these ten essays, spanning the length of Professor Tawney’s career remain as controversial and potent as ever, and the original introduction by J. M. Winter provides the first full evaluation and significance of R. H. Tawney’s approach to economic history. Among the essays included in this volume are the indispensible studies of ‘The Rise of the Gentry’ and ‘Harrington’s Interpretation of His Age’, as well as ‘The Abolition of Economic Controls, 1918-1921’, here published in full for the first time. Other selections, such as Tawney’s celebrated inaugural lecture as Professor of Economic History at the London School of Economics in 1933, ‘the Study of Economic History’, offer a representative sample of the range and sweep of Tawney’s historical imagination. Taken together, these essays demonstrate the validity of Tawney’s conviction that economic historians must confront not only the creation of wealth, but also the moral questions surrounding its distribution.

268 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 1978

About the author

Richard Henry Tawney was an English economic historian, social critic, and Christian socialist whose work helped shape twentieth century debates about equality, ethics, and the moral foundations of economic life. Educated at Rugby and Balliol College, Oxford, he served as an officer in the First World War and was severely wounded at the Somme, an experience that deeply influenced his views. Tawney became an influential voice in both academia and public policy, known especially for The Acquisitive Society (1921) and Religion and the Rise of Capitalism (1926).

Tawney’s scholarship combined rigorous historical analysis with a concern for social justice and the common good, and he played an important role in the early development of the British Labour Party’s intellectual tradition. A long-time professor at the London School of Economics, he was widely respected for his careful research, moral seriousness, and deep engagement with questions of economic organisation and human flourishing.

Reviews

[Connie Tinoco · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Social Organism" was a bit hard to read. I felt like organization of thought wasn't a priority.