A History of Britain : 1945 Through Brexit, 2nd Edition

The British vote to leave the European Union stunned everyone 2016, but was it really a surprise? In this revised and updated edition of A History of Britain: 1945 Through Brexit, award-winning historian Jeremy Black expands his reexamination of modern British history to include the Brexit process, the tumultuous administrations of Theresa May and Boris Johnson, the spectacular failure of Liz Truss, and the early days of Rishi Sunak's premiership. This sweeping and engaging book traces Britain's path through the destruction left behind by World War II, Thatcherism, the threats of the IRA, the Scottish referendum, and on to the impact of waves of immigration from the European Union. A History of Britain: 1945 Through Brexit overturns many conventional interpretations of significant historical events, provides context for current developments, and encourages the reader to question why we think the way we do about Britain's past. Cover 1 Title Page 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 Preface: From Empire to Where? 10 Prime Ministers from 1945 14 Abbreviations 16 1. Environment under Strain 20 2. Economy under Strain 52 3. Changing Society 75 4. Changing Culture 111 5. The After-Echoes of War, 1945–60 138 6. The Politics of Crisis, 1961–79 151 7. Thatcherism, 1979–90 170 8. Changing Directions, 1990 188 9. British Issues, 1945 207 10. European and World Questions 220 11. Into the Future 250 12. Conclusions 256 Notes 266 Selected Further Reading 272 Index 274 About the Author 292