The New Liberal Vision of C. F. G. Masterman: Religion, Politics and Literature in Early Twentieth-Century Britain

Stapleton, Julia

Abstract

This article explores the political thought of C. F. G. Masterman (1873–1927), a leading figure in the movement of New Liberalism in Britain at the beginning of the twentieth century. The article emphasizes the distinctive color his Christian beliefs and Anglican loyalties lent to his progressive Liberal ideals; this adds a new dimension to the existing historiography of the New Liberalism, which, until recently, has neglected the religious influences on its development. The article further underlines Masterman's concern to harness the cause of religious freedom and the disestablishment of the Church of England to social reform; he did so through reviving the older Gladstonian alliance between Liberalism and Nonconformity. It argues that his religiosity—focused on the Church of England—was central to his thought, and was frequently expressed in the language of prophecy he imbibed from Thomas Carlyle and other nineteenth-century seers.

Citation

Stapleton, J. (2020). The New Liberal Vision of C. F. G. Masterman: Religion, Politics and Literature in Early Twentieth-Century Britain. Modern Intellectual History, 17(1), 85-115. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1479244317000531

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 28, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Oct 26, 2017
• Publication Date: Mar 31, 2020
• Deposit Date: Sep 29, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 29, 2017
• Journal: Modern Intellectual History
• Print ISSN: 1479-2443
• Electronic ISSN: 1479-2451
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 17
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 85-115
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/s1479244317000531