After the Victorians: The Decline of Britain in the World (The World Our Parents Knew)

The distinguished historian A.N. Wilson has charted, in vivid detail, Britain's rise to world dominance, a tale of how one small island nation came to be the mightiest, richest country on earth, reigning over much of the globe. Now in his much anticipated sequel to the classic The Victorians, he describes how in little more than a generation Britain's power and influence in the world would virtually dissolve. In After the Victorians , Wilson presents a panoramic view of an era, stretching from the death of Queen Victoria in 1901 to the dawn of the cold war in the early 1950s. He offers riveting accounts of the savagery of World War I and the world-altering upheaval of the Communist Revolution. He explains Britain's role in shaping the destiny of the Middle East. And he casts a bright new light on the World War II years: Britain played a central role in defeating Germany but at a severe cost. The nation would emerge from the war bankrupt and fatally weakened, sidelined from world politics, while America would assume the mantle of dominant world power, facing off against the Soviet Union in the cold war. Wilson's perspective is not confined to the trenches of the battlefield and the halls of parliament: he also examines the parallel story of the beginnings of Modernism-he visits the novelists, philosophers, poets, and painters to see what they reveal about the activities of the politicians, scientists, and generals. Blending military, political, social, and cultural history of the most dramatic kind, A.N. Wilson offers an absorbing portrait of the decline of one of the world's great powers. The result is a fresh account of the birth pangs of the modern world, as well as a timely analysis of imperialism and its discontents. "In After the Victorians, A.N Wilson presents a panoramic view of an era stretching from the death of Queen Victoria in 1901 to the dawn of the Cold War in the early 1950s. He offers accounts of the savagery of World War I and the world-altering upheaval of the Russian Revolution. He explains Britain's role in shaping the destiny of the Middle East. And he casts a bright new light on the World War II years. Britain played a central role in defeating Germany, but at a severe cost: the nation would emerge from the war bankrupt and fatally weakened, cut off from world politics, while America would assume the mantle of dominant global power, facing off against the Soviet Union in the Cold War. Wilson's perspective is not confined to the trenches of the battlefield and the halls of Parliament: he also examines the parallel story of the beginnings of Modernism, considering the novelists, philosophers, poets, and painters of the time to see what they reveal about the activities of politicians, scientists, and generals." "Blending military, political, social, and cultural history of the most dramatic kind, A.N. Wilson offers a portrait of the decline of one of history's great powers. The result is an account of the birth pangs of the modern world, as well as a timely analysis of imperialism and its discontents."

A Guardian Favorite Book of the Year

A. N. Wilson's landmark sequel to The Victorians is a colorful, panoramic portrait of the era that began with the death of Queen Victoria in 1901 and extended to the dawn of the Cold War in the early 1950s. Expertly mapping the connections between military, political, social, and cultural history, After the Victorians is an incisive chronicle of Great Britain's decline. Wilson delivers a timely analysis of imperialism and its discontents and a fresh account of the birth pangs of the modern world.

Financial Times

"As a sequel to The Victorians it is intended to share that outstanding book's aim of being a portrait of an age rather than a formal history. It succeeds brilliantly as both . . . It is a page-turner, lambent with fascination . . . One of the best things about the book is the use Wilson makes of the period's reflection in its fecund literature. And, indeed, his masterly piece of history is a work of literature too."