What do you think?
Rate this book
Sixties Britain
Sixties Britain provides a more nuanced and engaging history of Britain. This book analyses the main social, political, cultural and economic changes Britain undertook as well as focusing on the 'silent majority' who were just as important as the rebellious students, the residents if Soho and the icons of popular culture. Sixties Britain engages the reader without losing sight of the fact that the 1960s were a vibrant, fascinating and controversial time in British History.
262 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
1 person is currently reading
13 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 4, 2021
Donnelly's book is a highly readable and informative single volume history of Sixties Britain, with a wide ranging narrative that does much to dispel the myopic 'swinging London' vision of the entire UK that has developed in popular culture since the 1960s. Tackling all manner of subjects, from politics to poverty, Celtic nationalism to fashion, alternative culture and art, and many other points, it is a good survey text for anyone who has little or no knowledge of British history of the era. However, as it is a wide ranging history that has been published in under 250 pages it has, be default, not delivered fully developed nor detailed analsyses of some key areas of study.
Taking the good first, Donnelly has made sure that by the end of the book the reader has learned penty about the sixties in Britain at every level of society. Whilst the focus of much of the book is on the middle and upper classes and their experiences, he ensures that he includes commentary on those who were unable to escape poverty during what is a period of general wealth and prosperity. The author also ensures that he doesn't fall into the trap of taking a 'London-centric' focus in his book; the regional differences between the south of England and the rest of the UK during the 1960s are covered with more than a cursory commentary.
Donnelly makes much of the highly visible aspects of British identity in the 60s, as embodied in the popular culture of the decade. Music, art, television, literature and film are all given due diligence. Of course for those who are besotted with these areas of 60s history there might be some shortcomings. However Donnelly does enough to ensure that these important elements of how the rest of the world constructed their visions of Britain during the decade are given appropriate attention.
There is plenty made of the changing political and economic dynamics of Britain, as it progressed from the Macmillan government of 1960 to Edward Heath's election in 1970. It might be argued that Donnelly spends too much time in the text, particularly in the latter half of the book, focused on the rise and fall of Wilson's Labour cabinets of the mid 60s. The panoply of politicians cited may confuse the reader, especially if one is not British. Certain high profile identities stand out, such as James Callaghan and Enoch Powell. However, if one is not a student of the subject or is too young to recognise some (if not all) of the names then the historical narrative may become disengaging.
It might be argued that Donnelly does not do enough to focus on some aspects of Britain's domestic issues during the era, and definitely not enough with its foreign relations. The attention given to minorities and under-reported social groups, including Asian and West Indian immigrants and women is not what one might expect. Whilst young people, students, radicals and members of the gay communty are discussed, they are not as important in Donnelly's narrative as 'mainstream' society. Perhaps this is an unfair criticism, yet it does have some relevance to a book that studies a decade where new voices in British society were emerging , becoming more and more dominant in the following years. As for British relations with other countries, aside from a cursory analysis of Anglo-American dealings and the plans to enter the EEC, Donnelly barely makes a significant comment.
In summary, 'Sixties Britain: Culture, Society and Politics' is a worthy and highly ubiquitous historical study of its subject. Donnelly has written a good book that will find a willing and engaged audience in those interested in the subject. It has some faults, however as an introductory text it will more than suffice.
Taking the good first, Donnelly has made sure that by the end of the book the reader has learned penty about the sixties in Britain at every level of society. Whilst the focus of much of the book is on the middle and upper classes and their experiences, he ensures that he includes commentary on those who were unable to escape poverty during what is a period of general wealth and prosperity. The author also ensures that he doesn't fall into the trap of taking a 'London-centric' focus in his book; the regional differences between the south of England and the rest of the UK during the 1960s are covered with more than a cursory commentary.
Donnelly makes much of the highly visible aspects of British identity in the 60s, as embodied in the popular culture of the decade. Music, art, television, literature and film are all given due diligence. Of course for those who are besotted with these areas of 60s history there might be some shortcomings. However Donnelly does enough to ensure that these important elements of how the rest of the world constructed their visions of Britain during the decade are given appropriate attention.
There is plenty made of the changing political and economic dynamics of Britain, as it progressed from the Macmillan government of 1960 to Edward Heath's election in 1970. It might be argued that Donnelly spends too much time in the text, particularly in the latter half of the book, focused on the rise and fall of Wilson's Labour cabinets of the mid 60s. The panoply of politicians cited may confuse the reader, especially if one is not British. Certain high profile identities stand out, such as James Callaghan and Enoch Powell. However, if one is not a student of the subject or is too young to recognise some (if not all) of the names then the historical narrative may become disengaging.
It might be argued that Donnelly does not do enough to focus on some aspects of Britain's domestic issues during the era, and definitely not enough with its foreign relations. The attention given to minorities and under-reported social groups, including Asian and West Indian immigrants and women is not what one might expect. Whilst young people, students, radicals and members of the gay communty are discussed, they are not as important in Donnelly's narrative as 'mainstream' society. Perhaps this is an unfair criticism, yet it does have some relevance to a book that studies a decade where new voices in British society were emerging , becoming more and more dominant in the following years. As for British relations with other countries, aside from a cursory analysis of Anglo-American dealings and the plans to enter the EEC, Donnelly barely makes a significant comment.
In summary, 'Sixties Britain: Culture, Society and Politics' is a worthy and highly ubiquitous historical study of its subject. Donnelly has written a good book that will find a willing and engaged audience in those interested in the subject. It has some faults, however as an introductory text it will more than suffice.
Read
November 25, 2021Read for uni, an interesting and useful resource
November 11, 2012
This book was really informative and had great statistics that i could apply in my history exam , last year. However, I also felt it was quite repetitive at times :S But it is good for wider context in History AS.
May 28, 2016
This was a solid read on the 1960s in Britain.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews