Merthyr Tydfil was the town where the future of a country was forged: a thriving, struggling surge of people, industry, democracy and ideas. It was the iron making capital of the world, and would become the crucible of modern Wales. The major figures among the ruling class: Anthony Bacon, the Crawshays, the Guests are all portrayed; as are the Chartist leaders Morgan Williams and Matthew John, and the MPs Henry Bruce, Henry Richard, D.A. Thomas and Keir Hardie. But the heroes are the men and women of Merthyr who, with extraordinary resilience, passed through the crucible of harsh experience, and out of their communities of self-help created their own culture and an extraordinary town. Merthyr The Crucible of Modern Wales assesses an epic history of Merthyr from 1760 to 1912 through the focus of a fresh and thoroughly convincing perspective.