A comprehensive, world-spanning history of the temperance movement and its lasting influence on law, society, and culture.
This book surveys how temperance ideas and prohibitory efforts emerged and evolved across North America, Europe, the British Commonwealth, and beyond. It traces the rise of reform societies, political campaigns, and the legal tests that shaped drinking laws, from local options to national prohibitions, and from early movements to modern temperance activism.
- Presents the people, organizations, and key campaigns that moved temperance from a social cause to major political force
- Examines the legislative battles, plebiscites, and policy experiments that defined local and national approaches
- Explores the global spread of temperance ideas, including chapters on notable movements in Canada, the United States, Europe, and the Commonwealth
- Includes appendices and source material that illuminate historical context and primary perspectives
Ideal for readers of social and political history who want to understand how moral reform intersected with law, culture, and public life across many countries.