3rd Edition
20th Century Britain Economic, Cultural and Social Change
20th Century Britain provides an authoritative and accessible survey of contemporary research on economic activity, society, political development and culture. Written by leading academics, it examines recent advances in scholarship and gives a grounding in established approaches and topics.
The first part comprises thematic essays covering the whole of the twentieth century, including chapters on the economy, economic management, big business, parliamentary politics, leisure, work, health, international economic relations and empire. It uncovers key areas of equality and diversity in chapters on women, living standards, social mobility, ethnicity and multiculturalism, and gender and sexuality. The most recent subfields of historical studies are also explored, including disability history and environmental economic history. The second part focuses on seismic events and topics covering shorter timeframes, including the World Wars, interwar Depression, Britain and European integration, sexual behaviours, civil society, the 1960s cultural revolution and resisting racism.
This collection provides an essential guide to current academic thinking on the most important elements of twentieth-century British history and is a useful tool for all students and scholars interested in modern Britain.
1. Introduction: Twentieth-Century Britain
Nicole Robertson, John Singleton and Avram Taylor
Part I: Britain since 1900
2. The British Political System
Richard Toye
3. The British Economy
John Singleton
4. Inequality, Living Standards, and Welfare Provision
Peter Scott and James T. Walker
5. Britain's Changing Position in the International Economy
Catherine R. Schenk
6. Managing the Economy, Managing the People
Jim Tomlinson
7. Work, the Labour Market and Trade Unions
Chris Wrigley
8. Leisure, Consumption and Consumerism
Peter Scott
9. The Environment and Environmental Policy
Martin Chick
10. Big Business and Management in Britain
John F. Wilson
11. Empire and Decolonisation
Paul Ward
12. Ethnicity, Identity and Multiculturalism
Sarah Hackett
13. Women and Inequalities
Pat Thane
14. Disability and Disabled People
Vicky Long
15. Social Mobility
Andrew Miles
16. Gender and Sexuality
Stephen Brooke
17. Healthcare, Health and Wellbeing
Victoria Bates
Part II: Britain in Focus
18. Britain at War 1914-1918 and 1939-45
Linsey Robb
19. The Impact of the Interwar Depression on the Working Class
Stephanie Ward
20. Civil Society, Voluntary Action and Citizenship, c. 1918 -1960s
Helen McCarthy
21. Heterosexual Sexuality in Britain, 1918-1972
Hannah Charnock and Kate Fisher
22. Britain and Europe since 1945
Neil Rollings
23. The 1960s and the Cultural Revolution
Marcus Collins
24 Resisting Racism in 1970s and 1980s Britain: the Experience of
Young South Asians
Anandi Ramamurthy
Biography
Nicole Robertson is Associate Professor in Modern British History at Sheffield Hallam University. She has published widely on women and the clerical sector, the co-operative movement, consumerism, and the Labour Party. Her current research project explores gender, activism and identity among white-collar workers.
John Singleton is Emeritus Professor of Economic and Business History at Sheffield Hallam University. He has published widely on British business history, economic policy in New Zealand, the development of central banking and the history of disasters and industrial safety.
Avram Taylor is Senior Lecturer in History at Northumbria University. His research reflects his interest in the relationship between class, gender and ethnicity. His thesis was published as Working Class Credit and Community since 1918 (2002.) He has subsequently published a number of articles on Jews in Britain.
‘An excellent volume covering a huge amount of material. The editors introduce the wide range of topics and variety of perspectives considered and, in every case, encouraged me to want to read further into the book on all the aspects highlighted.’Sara Horrell, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK