Marx misjudged Britain precisely because he misread its aristocratic compromise

Evidence

In fact, as Fernbach notes, Marx understood Britain politically far less well than France. He never grasped the deep compromise on which, after the settlement, British political life was stabilized; and he believed that ultimately, the industrial bourgeoisie would transform everything in its wake and assume power directly, “battering Old England to pieces.” In fact, “the industrial bourgeoisie managed to integrate itself politically and culturally into the old ruling bloc and the aristocratic ‘mask’ was to remain for at least a further half-century to camouflage and mystify the rule of capital” (Fernbach). But, if Marx mistook the line of development, he was not wrong in locating the issue: an issue, essentially, of non-identity between the classes in dominance at the economic level and the class factions in power at the level of politics and the state. — Hall, Stuart, Essential Essays, Volume 1, 511

Categorization

• QUESTION: Worth chasing later: what exactly was the ‘settlement’ that stabilized British politics, and how did the industrial bourgeoisie integrate into the aristocratic bloc?