Politiek in de arme straten van de Imperiale stad: Nationale kwesties en lokale netwerken in laat-victoriaans Londen

Local networks and personal relationships are vitally important in political cultures and electoral outcomes, even in cities where the largest 'national' issues may seem to be of the most significance. In the East End of London in the late nineteenth century, the influence of church visitors and similar Conservative-leaning personal contacts, particularly upon the better-off sections of the working class, helped to create a generally greater willingness of such voters to abstain from voting. This, as much as the often-claimed direct support of the London poor for imperialism and similar policies, led to the apparent success of the Conservatives in these areas. This article illustrates the importance of extremely local politics in the reception and electoral consequences of national debates.