London - Urban explorers and commentators

The East End and urban poverty

Introduction

The Heart of the Empire: Discussions of Problems of Modern City Life in England was first published in 1901. The Surrey-born British journalist and Liberal Party politician Charles Masterman (1873-1927) co-edited and contributed to the volume, most notably in the essay Realities at Home. The book as a whole deplored imperialism as a force for national decline, rather than glory. In his preface to the edition, an extract of which is reproduced here, he also discusses how “the stupendous growth of cities” has created an unequal distribution of wealth and a sharp contrast between the lives of the rich and the poor. Masterman later went on to head up the British government’s propaganda department during the First World War.

Please select below to view scanned pages from 'The Heart of Empire (1901)':

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