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Laslett: The World we have Lost: Sources

Laslett is not using footnotes in this section because it rounds up a well-referenced chapter, so much of the evidential basis is here understood without having to be stated. However, he does bring in specific examples: he illustrates his point about the authorities sometimes failing with the example of John Russel and refers to three specific periods of hardships in the English regions. The whole tenor of this extract is that Laslett has got solid evidence to support his claims, and he also points to the evidence that other historians have gathered in the period since the book was first published. This acts as a warning shot to those who might be tempted to attack his conclusions simply because they do not like them; those who want to dispute his conclusions will need to do so from equally detailed archival research.


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