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The philosophy and viewpoint it represents evokes a past era in which the politics of the world was completely different. It inspired a generation of British politicians and thinkers, the most notable among them being Winston Churchill.

was seen as an essentially Whig representation of events. His famously insular outlook which he himself took great pride in was something which permeated through all his writings. Some of his controversial ideas included dividing the world into “civilization and barbarism” and his contempt of indigenous cultures. Macaulay himself was assigned the task of introducing English in British colonies, especially in India. For Macaulay and his contemporaries, Britain at that time represented the zenith of civilization. He was still working on the fifth volume and the reign of William III when he died at the relatively young age of 59. This was something which was characteristic of the Victorian age in which Macaulay lived, when the British Empire was at the height of its powers. The British character and traditions are lauded and commended above all others. He credits the British people with resisting all foreign influences beginning with the Romans and going on to the French, Dutch and Germans who had an important role to play in the affairs of the country. He goes on to trace the early civilizations that preceded the establishment of the British Monarchy. The book opens with an elaborate and detailed introduction which describes the writer's motives and reasons for embarking on this project. However, it is certainly a book that leads the reader on to further research into the events and people mentioned. Modern day readers may find much that is offensive and insensitive in this five volume work which covers a particular period in the long and eventful history of Britain. Hailed more as a literary masterpiece than an accurate account of historical facts, The History of England from the Accession of James the Second by Thomas Babington Macaulay is an admirable mix of fact and fiction. By: Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800-1859)