The period between the repeal of the Corn Laws and the Great War is crucial for an understanding of present-day rural and agricultural issues. The unifying theme of this volume is the changing role of the countryside in national life, and the impact upon it of the social and economic forces unleashed by industrialisation and the growth of towns. The book is organised into seven parts. It begins with a critical review of the course of agricultural change. The elements of the pattern are then considered separately: farming regions, systems, techniques, and institutions; then the three principal socio-economic classes - landowners, farmers, and labourers. Part IV explores the broad industrial framework and Part V the social dimension. The volume continues with an assessment of the urban impact on the countryside and survey of the main ecological regions, and concludes with a statistical review of rural performance.