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This unit provides an overview of a key period in British history when Britain emerged as the leading industrial and trading power in the world. The period opens with widespread unrest following the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars and ends during the mid-Victorian boom when Britain appeared to have mastered the divisions which had threatened it through a mixture of judiciously timed reforms and repression. This option will consider pressures for radical social and political change, including challenges to British rule in Ireland, and assess their impact. There is an opportunity to examine the role of individuals such as Castlereagh, Canning, Palmerston, Peel and Gladstone. As well as embracing political, social and economic developments, this option will consider Britain's position in relation to Europe and the rest of the world as, in the years 1815 to 1865, Britain sought to protect her pre-eminence.