Merthyr, the Crucible of Modern Wales, 1760-1912

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Provides a history of Merthyr's community dominated by its iron and steel industry and controlled by a few very wealthy families - Crawshays, Guests, Homfrays - and of the social, political and labour responses to this. Has chapters: 'The masters'; 'Protest and control'; 'Riots, 1800 and 1816'; '1831 armed insurrection'; 'Breaking the unions'; 'In a righteous cause'; 'An oasis of calm'; 'The new paternalism'; 'Dowlais. A company town'; 'The old order changeth'; 'Trade unions - a false dawn'; 'Unitarians, freemasons, radicals'; 'A great and urgent necessity'; 'Clearing up the mess'; 'Seeking civic power'; 'The Guardians and the poor'; 'Chapels and politics'; 'Labour's new voice'; 'Keir Hardie and the Dowlais rising'; 'Days of hope'