State and Society

A vigorous interpretation of political and social developments in Britain since the late-Victorian era, 'State and Society' is one of the most respected and widely read introductions to modern British history. In it, Pugh explores, as his central theme, the relationship between the British state and its citizens with characteristic skill and insight. In this new edition, the text is extended to cover the premiership of Tony Blair, from his election in 1997 to his departure a decade later. Pugh examines Blair's legacy, looking at issues such as electoral reform, the idea of a British presidency, enivironmentalism, the Iraq War, civil liberties and national identity. In addition, existing chapters have been fully revised to reflect recent developments in historical thinking and restructured to highlight key themes.Additional material includes increased coverage of the role of female campaigners before the suffragettes, popular attitudes to the welfare state, a re-evalution of the General Strike of 1926, the importance of the British monarchy and the the 1936 Abdication crisis, the build up to the post-1945 Labour electoral success, the rising standard of living, including the growth in holiday travel and car ownership and a new chapter charting the rise and fall of Margaret Thatcher and a detailed analysis of her legacy. This new, thoroughly updated edition is essential reading for all students of British history.

ISBN 0340966890   Volumes 1 ISBN13 9780340966891 (What's this?)   Weight (grammes) 725 Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC   Published in London Imprint Hodder Arnold   Series title Arnold History of Britain Format Paperback   Previous ISBN 9780340719190 Publication date 30 May 2008   Height (mm) 234 DEWEY 941.08   Width (mm) 156 DEWEY edition DC22   Spine width (mm) 22 Pages 416   Academic level Tertiary education

		List of illustrations
		List of tables and figures
Part I		The Loss of Confidence, 1870-1902		1
Chapter 1		The retreat of the Industrial Revolution		3
		The beginnings of decline?		4
		Britain and free trade		8
		The role of the state		10
		The banks and the question of investment		11
		The problem of entrepreneurship		13
		Industrialization in perspective		15
Chapter 2		Not quite a democracy		19
		Gladstone and Victorian Liberalism		21
		The impact of parliamentary reform		24
		The Conservatives under Disraeli and Salisbury		29
		The rise of the Labour movement		34
		National decadence		39
Chapter 3		The Victorian state and its people		43
		The rising standard of living		44
		The persistence of mass poverty		47
		Popular attitudes towards the state and self-help		49
		The growth of local government		52
		The role of women in social politics		54
		Socialist revival and New Liberal revisionism		57
Chapter 4		Victorian values: myth and reality		63
		The growth of the state		64
		The Angel in the House		65
		Marriage and the family		68
		Population, sex and birth control		70
		More...

'A first-rate text on modern British history.' John Stevenson in Contemporary Record (of the first edition)

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