William Wilberforce
Life of the Great Anti-Slave-Trade Campaigner
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William Wilberforce
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Narrated by:
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Steve Hodson
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By:
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William Hague
About this listen
Hague examines twenty three crucial years in British political life during which Wilberforce met characters as varied as Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, Tsar Alexander of Russia, and the one year old future Queen Victoria who used to play at his feet. He was friend and confidant of Pitt, Spencer Perceval and George Canning. He saw these figures raised up or destroyed in twenty three years of war and revolution.
Hague presents us with a man who teemed with contradictions, making him a hugely criticised and at times hated figure among his peers. His behaviour and the ideas he upheld led William Cobbett to describe him as a consummate hypocrite. He was described by radicals as a supporter of repression at home, and although he took up a long list of humanitarian causes, on his home turf, he would show himself to be a firm supporter of the instincts, interests and conservatism of the Yorkshire freeholders who sent him to Parliament.
William Hague's masterful study of this remarkable and pivotal figure in British politics brings to life the great triumphs and shattering disappointments he experienced in his campaign against the slave trade, and show how immense economic, social and political forces came to join together under the tireless persistence of this unique man.
©2009 William Hague (P)2014 Audible, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about William Wilberforce
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- G. Roberts
- 13-12-20
Well researched and read story
a very good narator helped deliver this excellent biography. I hadnt realised how important Wilberforce is and how hard abolision had been to achieve.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Kirstine
- 03-03-10
An informative biography of a great man
I chose this book because I had enjoyed William Hague's excellent biography of William Pitt the Younger. I would rate that narrative a bit higher than the Wilberforce book mainly because of the amount of religious piety that has inevitably to be described to understand the man and his motivations. The final abolition of slavery is a lasting testament to his indefatigable campaigning against the terrible trade. I hadn't realized that it took most of his long parliamentary life to achieve this against diehard supporters of the inhumane practice. While most of the book is taken up with Wilberforce's involvement in promoting anti-slavery legislation, the author places this against the history of the time with wars in Europe and the crisis in the monarchy at the time of the accession of George IV and his battle with the wife he detested. That particular chapter is particularly lively.
I came away from the book feeling horror at the unspeakable cruelty to slaves torn from their homes in Africa starting with the nightmare sea voyage and the sheer hypocrisy of supporters of the trade who professed to be Christians.
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12 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Tommy
- 02-11-18
Authoritative, colourful and beautifully evocative
Authoritative, colourful and beautifully evocative of both Wilberforce and the world he inhabited. A worthy companion to Hague's Life of Pitt rhe Younger.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- D.C.
- 03-05-20
An inspiring and heart-warming epic.
William Hague's affectionate portrait of William Wilberforce was a delight from beginning to end. The story of Wilberforce's almost life-long campaign for the abolition of the slave trade is an epic tale of one man's strength of character, will, and devotion to a noble cause. Of particular interest to listeners who, like Wilberforce, are believers in the Lord Jesus, is the meticulous charting of Wilberforce's spiritual development and the blossoming of his evangelical Christian faith, as seen from his diaries and the testimony of his friends and enemies alike. Steve Hodson's narration enhanced my enjoyment of the book, adding an infusion feeling and warmth to the text, making one feel as though Hodson is relishing relating the life story of a personal friend. After finishing the book I certainly wished I had known Wilberforce in person.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Elizabeth Davies
- 19-03-11
Ist. class
This book is so well written: well done William Hague. I can find no fault with it, I was interested from the first page until the last.
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9 people found this helpful
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- andre
- 20-09-21
A great recompilation of one of the most extraordinary life’s in history.
This book has inspired and challenge me beyond my expectations. The life story and achievements of William Wilberforce, alongside his legacy, must be passed on from generation to generation, as it has the tools and power to awake the desire for pursuing that which is good and noble.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Martin
- 31-12-17
Brilliantly written and inspiring
Would you consider the audio edition of William Wilberforce to be better than the print version?
Long book made more easily digestible as an audio book
Any additional comments?
Well researched with lots of facts but this adds to rather than distracts from story. Brilliant insight into Wilberforce's faith and his faith inspired activity being way more than just issues of abolishing slave trade.
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- T M Banks
- 02-07-23
Good read
Well written & well researched book. William Hague has been wasted in politics. He should have written more books.
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- Another Customer
- 31-12-20
Thorough, deep and beautifully written
Striking how much William Hague recognises that Wilberforce's evangelical conversation drove his passion to abolish the slave trade
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- swagman55
- 03-08-18
William Wilberforce
This is a very well written book which gave me great pleasure in its reading.
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