Tales of the Periphery : An Outline Survey of Municipal Employees and Servives in the 19th and 20th Century City

In this introduction we will first elaborate on why municipal employees and services is a relevant and revealing theme in urban history, and then go on to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of existing scholarship. With particular reference to the contributions to this book, we will consider the consolidation of civic expansionism from the mid-nineteenth century. Next, we will examine the complex relationships that emerged between the executive and administrative spheres of local government, the changing role of central government and employees' responses to the needs and directives of the often highly politicized municipal power-base. Finally, we will look to further research approaches to open out this important, yet under-rated aspect of urban history