At the start of the third Christian millennium we are aware of massive political, economic and ideological changes which condition the chances of liberty, wealth and equality. Yet it is surprisingly difficult for us to understand these forces, for we cannot see what surrounds us so closely. This book analyses our condition by looking at the work of two great thinkers, one of whom provides a deep historical perspective, the other a wide comparative analysis. F.W.Maitland (1850-1906) was more than the greatest professional historian of modern times, he was a philosopher who provides a birlliant sketch of how our strange world has come about, particularly in his work on associations and Trusts. Yukichi Fukuzawa (1835-1901) more than any other created the insitutions of modern Japan. As an outsider he provides a brilliant insight into the heart of the new capitalist and industrial civilization which had emerged in the West.

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Acknowledgements

Notes on References, Conventions and Measures

Abbreviated Titles

Part One: F.W.Maitland: The Nature and Origins of the Modern World

Preface to a Study of F.W.Maitland

1. F.W.Maitland and the Making of the Modern World

2. The Lecacy of Sir Henry Maine

3. Life, work and Methods

4. Power and Property

5. Social Relations

6. The Divergence of Legal systems

7. Fellowship and Trust

8. Maitland and Durkheim

9. Maitland Assessed

Part Two: Yukichi Fukuzawa: The Nature and Effects of the Modern World

Preface to a study of Yukichi Fukuzawa

10. Yukichi Fukuzawa and the Making of the Modern World

11. Early Experience and Character

12. Travels and Comparisons

13. The Making of the New Japan

14. The Essence of the Modern World

15. Liberty, Equality and Human Relations

Synthesis

16. The Making of the Modern World

Notes, Bibliography, Index