
Chapters (105)
- THE RISE OF THE DEMOCRACY
- JOSEPH CLAYTON
- WITH EIGHT FULL-PAGE PLATES
- CASSELL AND COMPANY, LTD. London, New York, Toronto and Melbourne 1911
- KING JOHN GRANTING MAGNA CHARTA From the Fresco in the Royal Exchange, by Ernest Normand.
- PREFACE
- CONTENTS
- INTRODUCTION
- CHAPTER I the early struggles against the absolutism of the crown
- CHAPTER II the beginning of parliamentary representation
- CHAPTER III popular insurrection in england
- CHAPTER IV the struggle renewed against the crown
- CHAPTER V constitutional government—aristocracy triumphant
- CHAPTER VI the rise of the democratic idea
- CHAPTER VII parliamentary reform and the enfranchisement of the people
- CHAPTER VIII democracy at work
- CHAPTER IX the world-wide movement: its strength and weakness
- LIST OF PLATES
- THE RISE OF THE DEMOCRACY
- INTRODUCTION
- The British Influence
- Government of the People, by the People, for the People
- The Foundations of Democracy
- British Democracy Experimental, not Doctrinaire
- Education to Democracy
- CHAPTER I THE EARLY STRUGGLES AGAINST THE ABSOLUTISM OF THE CROWN
- The Great Churchmen
- Archbishop Anselm and Norman Autocracy
- Thomas à Becket and Henry II.
- Stephen Langton and John
- The Great Charter
- CHAPTER II THE BEGINNING OF PARLIAMENTARY REPRESENTATION
- Democracy and Representative Government
- Representative Theory First Found in Ecclesiastical Assemblies
- The Misrule of Henry III.
- Simon of Montfort, Leader of the National Party
- Edward I.'s Model Parliament, 1295
- The Nobility Predominant in Parliament
- The Medieval National Assemblies
- No Theory of Democracy in the Middle Ages
- CHAPTER III POPULAR INSURRECTION IN ENGLAND
- General Results of Popular Risings
- William FitzOsbert, called Longbeard, 1196
- The Peasant Revolt and its Leaders, 1381
- Jack Cade, Captain of Kent, 1450
- The Norfolk Rising under Robert Ket, 1549
- CHAPTER IV THE STRUGGLE RENEWED AGAINST THE CROWN
- Parliament under the Tudors
- SIR JOHN ELIOT
- Victory of Parliament over the Stuarts
- The Democratic Protest—Lilburne
- Winstanley and "The Diggers"
- JOHN HAMPDEN
- The Restoration
- CHAPTER V CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT—ARISTOCRACY TRIUMPHANT
- Government by Aristocracy
- Civil and Religious Liberty
- Growth of Cabinet Rule
- Walpole's Rule
- The Change in the House of Lords
- "Wilkes and Liberty"
- CHAPTER VI THE RISE OF THE DEMOCRATIC IDEA
- The Witness of the Middle Ages
- The "Social Contract" Theory
- Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)
- John Locke (1632-1704)
- Rousseau and the French Revolution
- American Independence
- Thomas Paine (1737-1809)
- Major Cartwright and the "Radical Reformers"
- THE GORDON RIOTS
- Thomas Spence (1750-1814)
- Practical Politics and Democratic Ideals
- CHAPTER VII PARLIAMENTARY REFORM AND THE ENFRANCHISEMENT OF THE PEOPLE
- The Industrial Revolution
- The Need for Parliamentary Reform
- Manufacturing Centres Unrepresented in Parliament
- The Passage of the Great Reform Bill
- The Working Class Still Unrepresented
- Chartism
- The Hyde Park Railings (1866)
- Household Suffrage
- Working-Class Representation in Parliament
- Removal of Religious Disabilities—Catholics, Jews, and Freethinkers
- The Enfranchisement of Women
- CHAPTER VIII DEMOCRACY AT WORK
- Local Government
- THE RIGHT HON. JOHN BURNS, M.P.
- The Workman in the House of Commons
- Working-class Leaders in Parliament
- THE RIGHT HON. D. LLOYD GEORGE, M.P.
- The Present Position of the House of Lords
- THE PASSING OF THE PARLIAMENT BILL IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS
- The Popularity of the Crown
- The Democratic Ideals: Socialism and Social Reform
- Land Reform and the Single Tax
- CHAPTER IX THE WORLD-WIDE MOVEMENT: ITS STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS
- East and West
- Tyranny under Democratic Forms
- The Obvious Dangers
- Party Government
- Bureaucracy
- Working-Class Ascendancy
- On Behalf of Democracy
- Notes.
How to Listen
- 1. Click "Listen Free" above
- 2. The book opens in CastReader's browser reader
- 3. Click the play button — AI narration starts with word highlighting
- 4. Use "Send to Phone" to continue listening on your phone
FAQ
Is this audiobook really free?
Yes. "The Rise of the Democracy" is a public domain work from Project Gutenberg. CastReader converts it to audio using AI text-to-speech for free. No account or payment needed.
What does the AI voice sound like?
CastReader uses Kokoro TTS, a natural-sounding AI voice. It handles punctuation, names, and dialogue naturally. Most listeners forget it's AI after a few minutes.
Can I listen on my phone?
Yes. Open the book, then use "Send to Phone" to stream audio to your phone via Telegram. No app download needed.
