State and society : a social and political history of Britain since 1870

"Covering the major social and political events of British history from the late Victorian era through to the present day, the 6th edition of this landmark textbook helps students critically examine the relationship between the British state and its citizens. With accessible and engaging prose, the book guides students through a mix of chronological and thematic coverage connecting key political, economic and social changes, helping them examine the main themes and trends in British political history. Newly featuring definitions of key terms, and with 20 additional illustrations, the 6th edition has also been updated to cover events since the 2015 general election, including: - The 2017 and 2019 general elections - The Brexit vote and negotiations - The COVID-19 pandemic - The resignation of David Cameron, the fall of Theresa May, and the rise of Boris Johnson - The rise of cultural politics, including feminism, Black Lives Matter, the centralisation of government and identity politics This book is essential for anyone looking to for an introduction to modern British social and political history"-- Provided by publisher. Martin Pugh's volume offers a vigorous new interpretation of political and social developments in Britain since the late-Victorian era. With the skill and insight that characterize his earlier books, he explores as his central theme the relationship between the British state and its citizens. He considers the extent to which negative 'Victorian' ideas about government had begun to erode even while Queen Victoria was on the throne, and emphasizes the Edwardian period as a turning point in the emergence of a more positive view of the state. The Great War, seen as a stimulus to innovation in the short-run, is revealed as a powerful agent of reaction against change in the longer term. As Britain suffered economic decline and political upheaval between the wars, laissez-faire became less attainable, or desirable. The emergence of a phase of consensus in political, social, and economic affairs in the aftermath of the Second World War, and the persistence of that consensus up to the mid 1970s, is a complex phenomenon that receives thorough examination - as do the reasons for the breakdown of post-war policies, in a society in full retreat from great power status, and the attempts since 1979 to return to a state of 'Victorian' proportions, with the rise and fall of Thatcherism viewed in the context of long-term historical changes.