About the research
Trentmann’s interest lies in the way the notion of Free Trade acted as a key element in British democracy at the turn of the twentieth century, mobilising an alliance of ruling elites and organised labour, businessmen and working-class women, imperialists and internationalists.
Family Life and Work Experience before 1918, 1870-1973 (The Edwardians) was a valuable source for Trentmann’s research into the Free Trade ideal. This data collection enabled him to explore how ordinary people understood Free Trade and how it shaped popular culture as well as its role in political agitations, elections and debates, until its popularity faded in the inter-war years.
His resulting publication Free Trade Nation: Consumption, Civil Society and Commerce in Modern Britain (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008), was awarded the Whitfield Prize by the Royal Historical Society.
Publications
Trentmann, F. (2009) Free Trade Nation: Consumption, Commerce and Civil Society in Modern Britain, Manchester: Manchester University Press.