Review of Historical Book
Twentieth-century Britain
Twentieth-Century Britain is a historical book that analyses the forces of consensus and conflict in twentieth-century modern Britain. The book explains the effects of the first world war and the social divisions of the twenties in modern-day Britain (Morgan, 2000). The beginning of the war period was a difficult time for Britain as it faced strikes from both the local workers and the broad world. The region was going through a difficult economic period majorly a nationwide industrial paralysis. The impact of the world war was so severe that it almost led to civil war in Ireland. There were major changes in the social and political nature of Britain after the first world war leading to an isolated but a more integrated Britain (Morgan, 2000).
The book also examines the impact of the following second world war which left the region affected but not to the same lengths of the first world war. The British people were more united post the second world war with a strong sense of national harmony and unity. There were major changes in the educational system of the region as wells as political landslides changes. This was explained by the Labour landslide election victory in 1945 (Morgan, 2000). The imperious status of Britain was negatively affected by the war leading to a weakened global reputation. In the book, the author explains how the culture of the British people post the second world war was starting to change to a modern wave of beliefs and values.
Twentieth-Century Britain analyses the changes that were taking place post the world wars in Britain. Post-war Britain was one that led to the rise of a social democracy basing on a mixed economy and a welfare state. There was a sustained period of political harmony and cultural renewal in the region as a result of the wounds of the world war. The period was met with improvements in the living standards of the British people brought about by the welfare state, the withdrawal from the empire, and the following social economic challenges that impacted the standard of living (Morgan, 2000). In the subsequent years, the nation started experiencing a steadily rising economy and the period is also widely considered to be the cultural golden era of Britain. Consequently, the economic difficulty of the 1960s and 1970s weakened the core of society, as strikes growth and nationalistic and racist sentiment spread in the wider parts of Britain.
The 1970s were a challenging economic period for Britain. Cases of social disturbance and the culture of impunity were born (Morgan, 2000). The economic decline was further worsened by the energy crisis and lack of major infrastructural development. Industrial strikes, inflation, and racism were on a rise with little hope of a decline, while from the outside, the nation retreated from Europe causing difficulties in containing the rapid violent measures of the IRA in Northern Ireland. Britain endured the period and with a short improvement period of national pride during the Falklands War of 1982, the nation returned to its state of economic hardship. The book analyses the issues that Britain endure in the post-war period of the Falklands. The 1980s was a period of renaissance for Britain in terms of cultural development and economic improvements (Morgan, 2000).
The book is important as it explains the state of Britain towards the end of the Millennium with the fall of Thatcher promising a greater future for Britain. In reality, the economy remained in recession, and the standard of livings dropping off after a short period of improvement. The author has clearly stated the main problems that faced Britain in the twentieth-century mainly the impact of the two world wars. It was always going to result in major problems for the economy of Britain but the cultural impact was not to be understated (Morgan, 2000). Cases of racism started to drop off towards the end of the century promising improvements in both national unity and cultural development.
References
Morgan, K. O. (2000). Twentieth-century Britain: a very short introduction. OUP Oxford.