Britain Since 1900 - A Success Story?

by Robert Skidelsky

How successful has Britain been in the twentieth century?This is the question Robert Skidelsky poses in this fascinating analysis of a century in which Britain lost an empire, fought two world wars, founded the welfare state and weathered economic turbulence and technological upheaval.We are accustomed to judging nations by their success in increasing or maintaining power - by these measures Britain has failed to thrive, but what of quality of life, prosperity, political, cultural and moral values?The British people are richer and healthier than in 1900. Despite cataclysmic events and some fraying at the edges, our society is more democratic and tolerant, and our constitution of liberty has been preserved, at a cost. Bu inequality of wealth income is much as it was before 1914, finance is scarcely less proud or industry more content, and history continues to be made by the elite.Starting with an assessment of the material, political, cultural and moral resources Britain brought to the twentieth century, Skidelsky turns to how events and the actions of Lloyd George, Churchill, Thatcher and Blair had an impact upon them, debating the nature of success, and what the future might hold for the country.

Genres: Politics, History

Kindle Edition

First published August 7, 2014

About the author

Robert Skidelsky was a British economic historian, author, crossbench life peer in the House of Lords, and Emeritus Professor of Political Economy at the University of Warwick. His three volume biography of the economist John Maynard Keynes (1983, 1992, 2000) received numerous prizes, including the Lionel Gelber Prize for International Relations and the Council on Foreign Relations Prize for International Relations.

Reviews

[Jacob Stelling]

Skidelsky's "Britain Since 1900 - A Success Story?" is a superb analysis of contemporary British history, looking at the ups and downs throughout the twentieth century which have shaped our national psyche.

Focusing on the character, charisma and effectiveness of our leaders, both political and otherwise, the author makes strident judgements on the success of the country since the turn of the century; from David Lloyd George and the Liberal collapse, to Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee's wartime success, to Margaret Thatcher's unprecedented political success, to the Blair-Brown rivalry, the author's unique perspective is shown and backed up with statistical evidence.

Overall, a highly-recommended, albeit slightly one-sided, narrative which helps us to understand the factors and circumstances which impacted the decline of traditional British values of patriotism and empire, and the rise of the socially-modern, welfare-centred country we live in today.

[Michael Macdonald]

Witty and precise, this book offers an overview of Britain's economic decline over the past century. Frustrated by poor governance, muddled strategy and the constant exaggeration of politicians' power to change human behaviour, Skidelsky chronicles the successive failure of British Prime Ministers to reverse the relative economic decline of the nation and overcome barriers to a more meritocratic society. Strangely underwhelmed by Blair and Thatcher, dismayed by the gap between Labour aspiration and delivery, ironic about Tory pretentions to help business and surprisingly warm about Lloyd George, Skidelsky portrays a nation struggling with economic decline and destined for isolation but still retaining illusions of moral leadership. essential reading for this week#s election winners