This comprehensive survey of the events, people and themes that make the British who they are explores the interwoven culture, society, politics and economics of the recent past. Two hundred concise essays cover topics as diverse as pornography and the poll tax, the Blitz and New Labour. The entries offer a consistent line of argument with a refreshing disrespect for old orthodoxies; at the same time, readers are given the essential facts on which to base their own opinions.