Britain Since 1918: The Strange Career of British Democracy
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Review
'hugely insightful...this paperback edition is a fascinating look at 20th century Britain' (Charlotte Vowden DAILY EXPRESS )
'Masterly...This book's real virtue lies in its clarity and the reminder that democracy can never be taken for granted.' (Nicholas Lezard GUARDIAN )
'Marquand delivers some thought-provoking verdicts' (Brian MacArthur DAILY TELEGRAPH )
'In this rich, articulate book, the rickety trajectory of UK politics over the last century - with a succession of weird individuals at the helm - is deftly related by a historian with insider knowledge.' (Christopher Hirst INDEPENDENT )
'A lucid and revealing insight into the convulsions that have defined Britain for ninety years.' (GOOD BOOK GUIDE )
'Masterly...This book's real virtue lies in its clarity and the reminder that democracy can never be taken for granted.' (Nicholas Lezard GUARDIAN )
'Marquand delivers some thought-provoking verdicts' (Brian MacArthur DAILY TELEGRAPH )
'In this rich, articulate book, the rickety trajectory of UK politics over the last century - with a succession of weird individuals at the helm - is deftly related by a historian with insider knowledge.' (Christopher Hirst INDEPENDENT )
'A lucid and revealing insight into the convulsions that have defined Britain for ninety years.' (GOOD BOOK GUIDE )
Product Description
The history of democratic politics in Britain since the coming of universal male suffrage in 1918 is a dramatic one, crowded with events and colourful figures. As well as the great events of war and economic crises, and the quieter drama of constitutional change, this era has been studded with democratic protests of every sort. The story opens more than 350 years ago. The Levellers of the 17th century, 18th-century radicals, the Chartists and the Reform Acts are all part of the unsteady and fiercely contested progress towards a democratic constitution. Dreams, visions and ideals are important too - of George Orwell, and Enoch Powell, Milton, Thomas Paine and Edmund Burke, Churchill and Lord Salisbury, Aneurin Bevan and Tony Benn - for they have also shaped our outlook.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a really excellent, informative and - yes - enjoyable piece of analytical history. The book bascially deals with British constitutional developments from the end of eighteenth century to the present day. But its focus is on the impact of the electoral reform acts of the nineteenth century which enlarged the franchise, and how this meshed with the other demographic, economic and cultural changes the country has undergone since then.
Marquand provides plenty of detail on some of the colourful, and less colourful, politicians who have governed us, and there are some well drawn and insightful potraits of some of the more important ones. The book also provides a wealth of historical detail on the events and changes of the last two hundred years.
However, the careful narrative is never at the expense of the political analysis, which is the book's real value. Marquand frames each government and leading political figure in terms of their position on an ideological spectrum: from Whig imperialist and Tory nationalist on the centre-right; to democratic republican and collectivist on the centre-left. Each of these categories are first explained and justified, and subsequent political and cultural shifts are then explored with reference to them.
Also welcome is the author's attention to Britain's changing economy and industrial structure, and its place in the world. Marquand is a former Labour MP turned academic, so he knows about the practice of politics as well the theory. He is, in short, ideally suited to write a definitive yet accessible account of recent British political history, and in my opinion this is exactly what he has done.
Marquand provides plenty of detail on some of the colourful, and less colourful, politicians who have governed us, and there are some well drawn and insightful potraits of some of the more important ones. The book also provides a wealth of historical detail on the events and changes of the last two hundred years.
However, the careful narrative is never at the expense of the political analysis, which is the book's real value. Marquand frames each government and leading political figure in terms of their position on an ideological spectrum: from Whig imperialist and Tory nationalist on the centre-right; to democratic republican and collectivist on the centre-left. Each of these categories are first explained and justified, and subsequent political and cultural shifts are then explored with reference to them.
Also welcome is the author's attention to Britain's changing economy and industrial structure, and its place in the world. Marquand is a former Labour MP turned academic, so he knows about the practice of politics as well the theory. He is, in short, ideally suited to write a definitive yet accessible account of recent British political history, and in my opinion this is exactly what he has done.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Anybody interested in 20th century politics in the UK should add this to their reading list. Beautifully written and containing just the right mix of anecdote, fact and comment it covers the ground in broad sweeps and points the enquiring mind at new sources of enlightenment. The pre-1918 introductory sections give a clear perspective and an insight into how commentators saw society, in its broadest sense, before and after the Great War and enough data to set it clearly in context. Although not too heavy in either length, factual content or style, I felt I had learned much. The more recent history (and this paperback edition has been further updated) is more of a commentary and does not benefit from the passage of time but the author gives a thoughtful, stimulating and challenging analysis.
Format:Paperback
This is a fabulously researched and beautifully written history which I read in quick order as it was impossible to put down. I didn't agree with all the personal attributes that were ascribed to some leading politicians, but we all have our views, and this did not take away my enjoyment or increased understanding of the changing, or not so changing, way we have been governed over nearly a century.
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