Introduction: At moments of crisis

Political struggles between borough factions - whether it be rivalry between groupings of potentiores or the apparently class-based hostilities that have been interpreted by some as democracy versus oligarchy - have received plenty of attention from historians, due in part to the very conspicuousness of those affairs, and in part to the historiographical emphasis on moments of crisis. Unfortunately, evidence of solidarity in the community has been exploited less. In this chapter, although mainly concerned with the former aspect of borough history, we will touch upon the latter to offer some degree of balance.

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INTRODUCTION Structure of Borough Government |  Social and Economic Background of Office-Holders Monopolisation of Office |  Attitudes Towards Office-holding |  Professionalism in Administration Quality of Government |  Conflict and Solidarity in Urban Politics CONCLUSION