Oliver Gough

My research focuses on the history of progressive political thought in Britain from around 1850 to 1950. I am exploring the ideas of citizenship and 'civic character', and the way in which shifting understandings of these concepts were reflected in political activity, policy and legislation. I am particularly interested in the attitude progressive writers took towards voluntary associations such as trade unions, cooperatives, and friendly societies, and the role they believed these institutions might play in cultivating public-spirited citizens.