The Myth of Consensus?: New Views on British History, 1945-64 (Contemporary History in Context)

This collection of essays challenges the notion that early postwar Britain was characterised by a consensus between the major political parties arising out of the experiences of the wartime coalition government. This groundbreaking collection of essays challenges the notion that early postwar Britain was characterised by a consensus between the major political parties arising out of the experiences of the wartime coalition government. The volume collects for the first time the views of the revisionist historians who argue that fundamental differences between and within the parties continued to characterise British politics after 1945. Covering topics as diverse as industrial relations and decolonisation, the volume provides a welcome contrast to orthodox interpretations of contemporary Britain This groundbreaking collection of essays challenges the notion that early postwar Britain was characterised by a consensus between the major political parties arising out of the experiences of the wartime Coalition government. It brings together for the first time the views of the revisionist historians who have been working on newly released archival material over the past decade. What emerges is a new interpretation of early postwar Britain in which fundamental differences of approach characterised Labour and Conservative policies throughout the 1940s and 1950s on issues as varied as the economy, the welfare state, industrial relations and decolonisation. The Myth of Consensus dispels the idea of a golden age of postwar harmony and poses a challenge to orthodox interpretations of the period. It marks the beginning of a new generation of scholarly analysis and debate, and is essential reading for any student of contemporary British history. Front Matter....Pages i-xvii A Bloodless Counter-Revolution: The Conservative Party and the Defence of Inequality, 1945–51....Pages 1-16 Consensus Here, Consensus There ... but not Consensus Everywhere: The Labour Party, Equality and Social Policy in the 1950s....Pages 17-39 ‘Not Reformed Capitalism, But... Democratic Socialism’: The Ideology of the Labour Leadership, 1945–1951....Pages 40-57 Conservative Leaders, Strategy — and ‘Consensus’? 1945–1964....Pages 58-78 Consensus and Consumption: Rationing, Austerity and Controls after the War....Pages 79-96 Butskellism, the Postwar Consensus and the Managed Economy....Pages 97-119 The Politics of the ‘Social’ and the ‘Industrial’ Wage, 1945–60....Pages 120-138 Industrial Organisation and Ownership, and a New Definition of the Postwar ‘Consensus’....Pages 139-156 Decolonisation and Postwar Consensus....Pages 157-181 Back Matter....Pages 182-186 Edited By Harriet Jones And Michael Kandiah. In Association With The Institute Of Contemporary British History. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.