Author: W. Walker Hanlon
In the 19th century, as Britain attained a leading economic and political position in Europe, British policymakers embarked on a bold experiment with small and limited government.
By the outbreak of the First World War, however, this laissez-faire philosophy of government had been abandoned and the country had taken its first steps toward becoming a modern welfare state.
This book tells the story of Britain’s laissez-faire experiment, examining why it was done, how it functioned, and why it was ultimately rejected in favor of a more interventionist form of governance.
