The Government of England (Vol. I)

About this book

The Government of England, Volume I is a scholarly survey of the British political system as it stood in the early twentieth century. Authored by A. Lawrence Lowell, a Harvard professor of government, the work opens with a detailed preface that frames England’s constitutional development as a “remarkable” organism, emphasizing its gradual adaptation to popular suffrage and the practical limits of a study confined to national institutions. From there the book proceeds through a meticulously outlined contents list, promising exhaustive chapters on the Crown, the Cabinet, the civil service, parliamentary procedure, party organization, local government, education, the church, the empire, and the courts, all grounded in the author’s extensive consultations with contemporary politicians and scholars.

Lowell’s voice is that of an early‑1900s academic, combining formal exposition with occasional personal acknowledgment of his informants. The prose is dense, footnoted, and reflective of the era’s constitutional scholarship, replete with comparative references to France, the United States, and other nations. Readers with a serious interest in historical political science, constitutional law, or the evolution of British governance, particularly those who appreciate a methodical, primary‑source‑rich approach, will find this volume a valuable reference.