Radicalism and the Emerging Historical Profession in Victorian England: The Case of John Richard Green

Abstract

Examines the early life of the writer whose Short History of the English People shaped Victorian readers’ attitudes about the country’s past. Points out reasons for Green’s developing a radical vision of English history that privileged the country’s Saxon heritage and denigrated modernist and Tory contributions. Reviews several unfavorable reactions to Green’s study by influential figures whose criticisms may have had negative impact on Green’s career.