The Lost Victory: British Dreams, British Realities 1945-1950

Pride and the Fall #3

by Correlli Barnett

In 1945, Britain emerged triumphant and victorious from the Second World War. On July 26, after a landslide election victory by the Labour party, Winston Churchill resigned and Clement Attlee became Prime Minister. The country looked forward to the 'New Jerusalem' that Labour had promised, a land in which poverty, ill health, slums and unemployment would be banished by lavish state expenditure. But by 1950 Britain was impoverished, the 'new Jerusalem' was a shaky structure, only half built. Why? In this brilliant, savage and original book, based on fascinating new material from Cabinet and other Whitehall records, Correlli Barnett shows the enormous double cost of 'New Jerusalem', and points out the destructive contradictions between mistaken strategies and their consequences.

Genres: History, Politics, World War II

514 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

A freelance historian and writer, Correlli Barnett was educated at Trinity school and Exeter College, Oxford, where he took a degree in modern history. After national service in the Intelligence Corps from 1945 to 1948, Barnett worked for the North Thames Gas Board until 1957, then in public relations until 1963. He was historical consultant and part author of the BBC series 'The Great War' and won the 1964 Screen Writers' Guild Award for best British television documentary script.

Reviews

[John Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and provocative. Britain couldn’t afford pretensions of being a great power and couldn’t afford the welfare state - it should’ve focussed on the basics of modernising infrastructure, utilities and industry. I think the regional policy aspect is understated - the effects of investment policy on a particular industry is pretty immaterial if they can’t even build a factory. This in turn prevents the decay of the Victorian industries responsible for much of the lack of dynamism the author complains of.

[Dan Ackroyd · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is interesting, but seems written to justify the authors bias and so is of doubtful usefulness in understanding the actual events.

For example he seems to blame working class people for not working hard enough, e.g. in the coal mines, during World War 2.

Working in a mine is bad enough normally, but to be forced to work there without proper equipment, without the normal level of ventilation or lighting (due to the shortage of copper), and with corners being cut for safety to boost productivity is even worse.

"It was well known to colliery managers that 'there is a tendency among certain men to take a few days rest on account of having sustained a a very minor accident'."

He completely elides that working in the coal mines was hellish during WW2 and that a significant number of miners were conscripts there against their will.

From elsewhere:
"Bevin Boys (the young draftees) were only issued with a compressed cardboard helmet and a pair of steel-toed boots, and were required to provide their own work clothes by using up their ration coupons.

Like many of the miners he worked with, Bevin Boy and artist David McClure’s flasks of cold tea quenched his thirst in the stifling heat of the mine. When that ran out, McClure quickly learned the miners’ trick of sucking a piece of clean coal to keep his mouth lubricated."

If you're so thirsty that you take to sucking on a piece of coal to sate your thirst, then yes, a 'minor' injury is probably a good cause for avoiding work for a few days.

For the author to completely skip these details provides an inaccurate depiction of the actual causes.

He later goes on to describe the NHS an expensive luxury, that couldn't be justified on cost, and that poor people just shouldn't have had access to healthcare.

Although he goes into detail where money is actually wasted, having a large part of his argument be based on conscripts not working hard enough, and poor people having access to basic healthcare, makes me doubt he should be allowed to influence any policy decisions.

[Lysergius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up in a secondhand bookshop for a few pennies and was absolutely blown away, What a tale of stupidity and ineptitude. I always wondered why Britain failed to capitalise on the opportunities presented by the post war recovery despite more Marshall aide than Germany or France. Now I know. Criminal.

[Peter Burton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good analysis of Britain's post war decline with its emphasis on long term trends eg education system,lack of technical expertise and its determination to keep the empire.Quite depressing really;hope Brexit helps to shake G B up so it's a success.

[Andrei · Rating 4 out of 5]

the disinterest of western elites in production is just as true today
and of course the dripping sentiment

[Kym Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be a very informative and interesting read while at the same time to be some what depressing. While the book focuses on the immediate post war British experience it is just as relevant to more modern times. The ineptitude and arrogant idiocy highlighted in the book is not just a British condition nor is it isolated to the political and intellectual class of the 1940s. It is an affliction found in all nations but especially in the 'Western' powers which often to seek to forsake and hinder the very elements which have given success to the national culture.

This I feel is a must read for any one interested in history or politics. I however do truly feel that the World would be a better place if those who seek to rule over all of us had an understanding of past events. Then our problems would be more Machiavelli as opposed to those of sheer ignorance as found in this book.

I shall hope to revisit these pages again soon.

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