Never had it so good : a history of Britain from Suez to the Beatles

A comprehensive history of Britain in the early 1960s. In 1956 the Suez Crisis finally shattered the old myths of the British Empire and paved the way for the tumultuous changes of the decades to come. In NEVER HAD IT SO GOOD, Dominic Sandbrook takes a fresh look at the dramatic story of affluence and decline between 1956 and 1963. Arguing that historians have until now been besotted by the supposed cultural revolution of the Sixties, Sandbrook re-examines the myths of this controversial period and paints a more complicated picture of a society caught between conservatism and change. He explores the growth of a modern consumer society, the impact of immigration, the invention of modern pop music and the British retreat from empire. He tells the story of the colourful characters of the period, like Harold Macmillan, Kingsley Amis and Paul McCartney, and brings to life the experience of the first post-imperial generation, from the Notting Hill riots to the first Beatles hits, from the Profumo scandal to the cult of James Bond. In this strikingly impressive debut, he combines academic verve and insight with colourful, dramatic writing to produce a classic, ground-breaking work that will change forever how we think about the Sixties Arguing that historians have been besotted by the cultural revolution of the Sixties, Dominic Sandbrook re-examines the myths of this controversial period and paints a more complicated picture of a society caught between conservatism and change. He explores the growth of a modern consumer society, the impact of immigration, the invention of modern pop music, and the British retreat from empire. He tells the story of the colourful characters of the period, like Harold Macmillan, Kingsley Amis, and Paul McCartney, and brings to life the experience of the first post-imperial generation, from the Notting Hill riots to the first Beatles hits, from the Profumo scandal to the cult of James Bond. Suez -- Britain In 1956 -- Supermac -- The Affluent Society -- The Provincial All-stars -- The New Wave -- The War Game -- The End Of Empire -- The Newcomers -- I'm All Right, Jack -- Tv With Auntie -- The Teenage Consumer -- Rock And Roll Babies -- Live Now, Pay Later -- A Gang Of Low Schoolboys -- The Secret Agent -- Scandal -- The Magic Circle -- On To 1964. Dominic Sandbrook. Originally Published: London: Little, Brown, 2005. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [739]-869) And Index. In 1956 the Suez Crisis finally shattered the old myths of the British Empire and paved the way for the changes of the decades to come. Dominic Sandbrook discusses the dramatic story of affluence and decline between 1956 and 1963