A Social History of England, 1851-1990Psychology Press, 1991 - 384 pages In this edition of his widely-acclaimed work, Bedarida has added a substantial analysis of recent English history from 1975 to 1990. He takes a detached, perceptive, and quizzical view of the transformation of British society over the last fifteen years: a time which has witnessed a transformation of the British into a nation of go-getting, home-owning, share-owning entrepreneurs. While acknowledging that two-thirds of British society are better-off for the changes, Bedarida emphasizes the costs of development. He focuses on the British "under-class," the one-third of the population living below the poverty line and sliding irrevocably into squalor and oblivion. Critical, but not without hope, Bedarida finds -- in Britain's increasingly fragmented and individualistic society -- a collective conscience which continues to flicker. |
Contents
THE MERITS OF HIERARCHY | 36 |
POWER AND CONSENSUS | 73 |
18801914 | 97 |
THE SPLENDOUR AND SQUALor of a golden age | 144 |
191455 | 165 |
THE IMMUTABLE CLASS SYSTEM | 200 |
THE SLOWLY CHANGING SOCIAL LANDSCAPE | 226 |
The End of Old England? 195575 | 247 |
THE FRUITS OF AFFLUENCE | 253 |
DECADENCE or wisdom? | 274 |
Conclusion | 290 |
Postscript 197590 | 296 |
Notes to the text | 327 |
Bibliography | 359 |
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Common terms and phrases
A. H. Halsey A. J. P. Taylor agricultural aristocracy average became behaviour bourgeois bourgeoisie Britain capital cent Chartism Christian Church civil common crisis culture decline democracy democratic economic élite England and Wales English society fact factors favour feeling figures force G. D. H. Cole groups growth hand Hence hierarchy houses idea income increase individual industrial inequality John Stuart Mill Jules Vallès labour aristocracy labour movement Labour Party land less liberal liberty London manual workers Margaret Thatcher mass million moral nineteenth century organization peace period political poor population poverty privileged production progress prosperity radical reform religion religious result revolution Second World Second World War sectors social socialist spirit standard of living Statistics structure tion town trade unions traditional unemployment urban Victorian wealth Welfare whole women working-class