The Rage of Party - review

Our review of The Rage of Party: How Whig Versus Tory Made Modern Britain, by George Owers, first published in September 2025. This lively account of the origins of party politics in English (and then British) history is enormously entertaining. This ranks among the most enjoyable history books I have ever read, with a cast of larger-than-life personalities and barely believable shenanigans.Anyone feeling cynical about our current crop of politicians and the state of politics would do well to read this book to get a sense of perspective. ★★★★★ The late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries are probably among the most significant periods in English and British history, yet they do not loom large in the national consciousness. The years 1688 to 1714, covering the reigns of William and Mary and Anne, witnessed the Glorious Revolution (1688), the establishment of the Bank of England (1694) and the Acts of Union between England and Scotland (1706 to 1707). It was the era which helped…