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A Shellshocked Nation: Britain Between the Wars
'Britain in the 1920s and 1930s pops to life in this often very witty chronicle of that jittery time' The Times
'Alwyn Turner is the master of funny, engaging social history' Sunday Times
After the calamity of the Great War, there was a desire in Britain for escapist fun - the lights of the Jazz Age, radio comedies and the pictures were a welcome respite from the grim reality of the Great Depression. Yet the storm clouds were gathering, and Britain between the wars was a turbulent, restless place - and where the foundations of the modern nation were laid.
Combining cultural, social and political history, A Shellshocked Nation is the next instalment in Alwyn Turner's highly original history of the twentieth century, sketching a portrait of the interwar nation through its entertainments and scandals, its people and political crises. From the General Strike to the BBC, Irish Home Rule and the rise of fascism, this is the definitive story of Britain's most anxious era.
'Alwyn Turner is the master of funny, engaging social history' Sunday Times
After the calamity of the Great War, there was a desire in Britain for escapist fun - the lights of the Jazz Age, radio comedies and the pictures were a welcome respite from the grim reality of the Great Depression. Yet the storm clouds were gathering, and Britain between the wars was a turbulent, restless place - and where the foundations of the modern nation were laid.
Combining cultural, social and political history, A Shellshocked Nation is the next instalment in Alwyn Turner's highly original history of the twentieth century, sketching a portrait of the interwar nation through its entertainments and scandals, its people and political crises. From the General Strike to the BBC, Irish Home Rule and the rise of fascism, this is the definitive story of Britain's most anxious era.
- GenresHistory
384 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 22, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 12, 2026
A rather wonderful book that captures the spirit of a nation both at ease with itself at the end of the First World War and increasingly out of touch with a modern world as a second one approached.
It tells a story of a Britain comfortable with the being British, proud of values including the ability to laugh at ourselves and effectively immune from the extremism that others (maybe more impacted by the earlier war) had experienced.
Turner's epigraph before his epilogue perhaps captures the spirit of his book best:
"Perhaps we can that England as a whole, though
suffering vast changes, have survived more recognisably than
any other country. She is more than the ghost of her former
self - she has a good deal still left of the substance."
If that capture the spirit of the book then the journey to arrive at that point is well worth it. Highly recommended.
It tells a story of a Britain comfortable with the being British, proud of values including the ability to laugh at ourselves and effectively immune from the extremism that others (maybe more impacted by the earlier war) had experienced.
Turner's epigraph before his epilogue perhaps captures the spirit of his book best:
"Perhaps we can that England as a whole, though
suffering vast changes, have survived more recognisably than
any other country. She is more than the ghost of her former
self - she has a good deal still left of the substance."
If that capture the spirit of the book then the journey to arrive at that point is well worth it. Highly recommended.
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February 27, 2026How the reader reacts to the building’s well-known factors will determine their Shellshocked experience. This follows on with the reader enjoying the option of connecting Shellshocked elements to the present day. The British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) founding and Hollywood’s international cultural influence are two instances of those topical threads.
You can find my full Shellshocked Nation review at the link below.
https://thelensofhistory.substack.com...
You can find my full Shellshocked Nation review at the link below.
https://thelensofhistory.substack.com...
March 1, 2026
The latest in an excellent series of books that really brings the past to life.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews