Inventing and Resisting Britain: Cultural Identities in Britain and Ireland, 1685–1789 (British Studies Series, 57)

This book examines the difficulties and challenges which faced attempts to create a British identity. Taking its perspective from the cultural, social and political margins of the British Isles, it demonstrates how fragile the supposed political consensus of the eighteenth century was. To read it is to revaluate our understanding of the culture of England in relation to other societies of these islands. The British Economy In The Twentieth Century Combines Narrative With A Conceptual And Analytic Approach To Review British Economic Performance During The Twentieth Century In A Controlled Comparative Framework. It Looks At Key Themes, Including Economic Growth And Welfare, The Working Of The Labour Market, And The Performance Of Entrepreneurs And Managers. Alan Booth Argues That A Careful, Balanced Assessment (which Must Embrace The Whole Century Rather Than Simply The Postwar Years) Does Not Support The Loud And Persistent Case For Systematic Failure In British Management, Labour, Institutions, Culture And Economic Policy. Relative Decline Was Much More Modest, Patchy And Inevitable Than Commonly Believed.--jacket. 1. Introduction -- 2. Economic Growth And Welfare -- 3. Britain's Place In The World Economy -- 4. Industry, Entrepreneurs And Managers -- 5. The Labour Market, Unions And Skill -- 6. Government And Economic Policy -- 7. The Cultural Critique. Alan Booth. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 220-239) And Index. Inventing And Resisting Britain: Cultural Identities In Britain And Ireland, 1685-1789 Tells The Story Of The Birth Of Britain And Its Development In The Eighteenth Century. Looking At England, Scotland, Ireland, And Wales In Turn, And At Issues Such As Religion, Jacobitism, Nationalism, Feminism, Money, The British Empire, Travel, Romanticism, And The Idea Of History, It Asks: How Did Britain Come Into Being? How Successful Was It? What Were Its Problems? How Do They Remain Relevant Today? Challenging The Idea Of A Unified British Identity In The Eighteenth Century, The Book Suggests That A Lack Of Understanding Of British Diversity Has Helped To Create Tensions In Britain In The Twentieth Century. It Explores The Idea Of Dual Identity - How Far Could People Be Both Irish And British - And Religious, Gender And Non-national Political Differences Within Britain, Using The Past To Shed A Fresh Light On Contemporary Uk And Irish Identity. Murray G.h. Pittock. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 178-180) And Index. "This book aims to provide a lucid and approachable reassessment of the various political, economic and social pressures on the development of English justice in the fourteenth century. It suggests the best ways by which students can understand the different historical debates and schools of thought. Crucially, it stresses that the law did not simply react to external shocks, but was capable of developing from within, responding to the needs of a fast-changing and increasingly litigious society. Further, it questions the notion that royal justice underwent a crisis in the fourteenth century (a key theme for students of late medieval England), and offers new insights into the power structure and political culture of the reigns of Edward II, Edward III and Richard II."--Jacket "Over the last two decades there has been a steady growth of interest in the study of British history from a genuinely British, as opposed to metropolitan English, perspective. Traditionally British history has been taught as modern English history. This curious dichotomy crept into British historiography during the twentieth century as the result of domestic political tensions and imperial decline. Alexander Murdoch's new book seeks to explain the importance or Irish, Scottish and Welsh history to British history and relate English history to broader British patterns."--Jacket The 2nd edition of "A History of the British Labour Party" takes the story to 2000. The book looks at the reasons why the party was originally formed, its aims and achievements, its failures to achieve office, and its recovery since the problems of the 1980s.