The history of riots in London shows that persistent inequality and injustice is always likely to breed periodic violent uprisings.

The August 2011 riots in London prompted many commentators to look back on previous riots in the city and the country to see what common threads, if any, run through outbreaks of public disorder. Jerry White examines the Gordon Riots, the Hyde Park riots of 1855 and the Brixton riots of 1981 and finds that perceived inequalities and injustice in London have and will continue to breed periodic violent uprisings.