ABSTRACT
Up to this point our perspective has consisted in analysing social structures, i.e. the hierarchical organization of British society with its complex stratification. We must now bring in a new dimension by studying the social dynamic, which is an expression of social trends and of the play of overall social forces. This approach should help to clarify inter-class relations as well as the struggles and confrontations between social groups, and to determine what was the real degree of social mobility in Victorian times. This will also lead us to ask questions about the distribution of wealth and power, the interplay of ideologies and beliefs, the loyalty to the existing social order and the willingness to change it.
