HALEVY, ELIE

born Sept. 6, 1870, tretat, Fr. died Aug. 21, 1937, Sucy-en-Brie French historian, author of the best detailed general account of 19th-century British history, Histoire du peuple anglais au XIXe sicle, 6 vol. (191347; A History of the English People in the Nineteenth Century). This great work traces the political, economic, and religious developments in Britain after 1815. Halvy was particularly concerned with the rise of nonconformity, and he sought to show that what was basic to the British conception of liberty was a spirit of voluntary obedience. After completing three volumes dealing with the years 181541, he turned to the end of the century in his two-volume pilogue, covering the period 18951914. He projected a further three volumes for the period 184195 but died before completing them; a volume dealing with the years 184152 was later prepared from his notes. The English translation was published as follows: England in 1815 (1949), The Liberal Awakening, 18151830 (1949), The Triumph of Reform, 18301841 (1950), Victorian Years, 18411895 (1951; a translation of Halvy's posthumous volume augmented by a long essay written by the English historian R.B. McCallum), Imperialism and the Rise of Labour, 18951905 (1951), and The Rule of Democracy, 19051914 (1952).