Historians who compare the history of several nations always have difficulty in finding out why these nations differ under similar circumstances. Britain by the 19th century had already had its uprisings about parliamentary government vs. authoritarian monarchy; it gained from a certain disinclination towards too much introspection. This worked toward a certain stability I think which continental nations did not enjoy. Compare the French and the British and you will see what I mean. There is for instance no British Victor Hugo to write one novel after another about feeling and faith and suffering and revolt. Only a Frenchman could have wasted so much paper and ink as Hugo without really accomplishing anything useful. The staid and introverted British did better. Of course, Professor Cannadine would doubtless not agree. Compare a Trollope novel with one by Victor Hugo and perhaps you will see what I mean.
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