Nobody's Perfect: A New Whig Interpretation of History

Is history driven more by principle or interest? Are ideas of historical progress obsolete? Is it unforgivable to change one's mind or political allegiance? Did the 18th century really exchange the civilizing force of commercial advantage for political conflict? In this account of liberal thought from its roots in 17th-century English thinking to the end of the 18th century, Annabel Patterson tackles these important historiographical questions. She rescues the term "Whig" from the low regard attached to it; denies the primacy of self-interest in the political struggles of Georgian England; and argues that while Whigs may have strayed from liberal principles on occasion (nobody's perfect), nevertheless many were true progressives. In a series of case studies, mainly from the reign of George III, Patterson examines or re-examines the careers of such prominent individuals as John Almon, Edmund Burke, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Thomas Erskine, and, at the end of the century, William Wordsworth. She also addresses a host of secondary characters, seeking to reshape our thinking about both well-known and lesser figures of the time. Tracking a coherent, sustained and adaptable liberalism throughout the 18th century, Patterson overturns common assumptions of political, cultural and art historians. She aims to deliver fresh insights into the careers of those who called themselves Whigs, their place in British political thought, and the crucial ramifications of this thinking in the American political arena.