02960cam a22003973u 4500 70495 UtSlPG 20260610134629.0 m cr n 260607r20231903utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d 84241976 UtSlPG en iso639-1 PR Belloc, Hilaire, 1870-1953 The great inquiry Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg, 2023 1 online resource : multiple file formats text txt rdacontent computer c rdamedia online resource cr rdacarrier Release date is 2023-04-07 Benjamin Fluehr, Tim Lindell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) "The Great Inquiry" by Hilaire Belloc is a satirical work, likely written during the early 20th century. This publication serves as a mock report of a fictional parliamentary inquiry into the economic conditions of Britain and its colonies, shining a light on the absurdities and inefficiencies of the British political and economic system of the time. Through a series of comical testimonies and exaggerated claims, Belloc critiques the plight of British industry while addressing serious themes related to protectionism, the impact of foreign trade, and national identity. The book unfolds as a series of meetings where various witnesses, ranging from industrialists to animals, offer their evidence about the decline of national health and wealth. Many characters present increasingly ridiculous solutions to the problems they face, such as demanding government subsidies or evidencing the superiority of British products through the anecdotal success of a well-fed pig compared to a poorly nourished one. Ultimately, the inquiry descends into chaos, reveling in nonsensical bureaucracy and absurd claims about economic decline, emphasizing the disconnect between political discourse and the economic realities of the time. Belloc employs humor and satire not just to entertain but to provoke thought regarding political accountability and the often misguided nature of policy decisions. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Originally published: United Kingdom: Duckworth & Co., 1903 Satire Chamberlain, Joseph, 1836-1914 -- Humor Balfour, Arthur James, 1848-1930 -- Humor Tariff -- Great Britain -- History -- Humor Protectionism -- Great Britain -- Humor Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1901-1910 -- Humor Chesterton, G. K. (Gilbert Keith), 1874-1936 https://archive.org/details/greatinquiryonly00bellrich/page/n7/mode/2up https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/70495 111221 111221