Britain and the United States share a common language, a liberal and cultural heritage, and a democratic political system. They also have pronounced differences, for their economic, political, and social structures have developed in distinctive ways. This book compares and contrasts the historical course of the two countries and explores the significance of their similarities and differences over a period of two centuries.The book offers wide ranging and up-to-date analyses of such issues as industrialization and urbanization, democracy and politics, class and gender, and citizenship and welfare. With contributions from leading scholars in both countries, it will be an invaluable resource for classrooms and seminar study, appealing to students of both history and social science. Some of the essays are classic expositions of debates that resonate on both sides of the Atlantic. Others are exemplary pieces that signal new agendas for research.Contributors:Anthony Badger, Mark Clapson, J.C.D. Clark, Clive Emsley, Mary K. Geiter, H.J. Habakkuk, Jeffrey Haydu, Ira Katznelson, Leon S. Marshall, David Morgan, Ann Shola Orloff, Gretchen Ritter, S.B. Saul, Theda Skocpol, W.A. Speck, and David Ward.