Fighting Napoleon at Home

The Real Story of a Nation at War With Itself

Paul L Dawson

$75

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Frontline Books
01 May 2023

European history; Napoleonic Wars

From the sun-baked sierras of Spain, through the stormy waters off Cape Trafalgar to the muddy and bloody fields of Waterloo, Britain's soldiers and sailors were notching up victories which set the country on the path to becoming the greatest power on the planet. We like to imagine the country was unified against a common enemy, France, and the Tyrant of Europe Napoleon. Yet if we scratch the surface, we find a nation not just at war with France but with itself. The great successes of Wellington and Nelson, and the glamour of Regency London, cover over the cracks of a divided society, of riots across the industrial north and widespread political opposition. Huge swathes of the country hated the war, booed and hissed at soldiers and 'lobbed turds' at the Scots Greys in Halifax. There were repeated 'Peace Petitions' which sought to stop the war and even to prevent the British Army fighting at Waterloo. Armed Associations of gentlemen volunteers and Local Militias led the call to close down the debate on social and democratic reform, while on the other hand thousands of English reformers heeded the call from France and hundreds actually headed to France, with many thousands more believing that the time had come, when its young men were needed to fight for King and Country, for reform. The burgeoning middle class had no vote in parliament; rapidly expanding industrial towns and cities had no MPs, yet small villages pocket boroughs often had two. The burden of taxation fell on those least able to afford it; enclosure of common land; corn laws; restrictions on the freedom of expression; the endless killing, all fed into an undercurrent of political dissent that was ideologically opposed to the loyalist cause. It was a battle for the very sole of Britain. For the first time, the shocking reality of life in Britain, during what is often portrayed as being its greatest era, is told through diaries, letters, and newspaper comments. Fighting Napoleon at Home is a startling portrayal of the society from which the soldiers and sailors were drawn and exactly what it was they were fighting to defend. It will become essential reading for anyone attempting to understand why Britain's aristocracy had to stop Napoleon at any cost and suppress the dangerous ideals of liberté, égalité, fraternité.

AUTHOR: Paul L. Dawson BSc Hons, MRes, MIFA, FINS, is a professional historian, researcher and author who specialises in European history 1780 to 1832. He has written over 40 books on a wide array of subjects, from equitation to theology, but is best known for his decades of research carried out at the French Army Archives in Paris, primarily about the Waterloo Campaign, as well as the uniforms and equipment of the French Army.

By: Paul L Dawson
Imprint: Frontline Books
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9781399096355
ISBN 10: 1399096354
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 01 May 2023
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Unspecified

PAUL L. DAWSON BSc Hons, MRes, MIFA, FINS, is a professional historian, researcher and author who specialises in European history 1780 to 1832. He has written over 40 books on a wide array of subjects, from equitation to theology, but is best known for his decades of research carried out at the French Army Archives in Paris, primarily about the Waterloo Campaign, as well as the uniforms and equipment of the French Army.