Britain in the 1930s: A Deceptive Decade

Contemporaries were and historians have been bitterly divided about Britain in the period between the Wall Street Crash and the outbreak of the Second World War. Were the 1930s a decade of growing prosperity and unprecedented levels of ownership, of sane, competent, democratic governments under men like Macdonald, Baldwin and Chamberlain, fighting vigorously against overwhelming difficulties? Or was it a time of grinding poverty, long term unemployment, political timidity and uninspired and uninspiring government? In this new book Andrew Thorpe uses the fruits of the most recent research to assess the state of Britain in the 1930s. He looks at politics, the economy and society and argues that, while Britain in the 1930s was not particularly dynamic, its governments did as well as could be expected in the face of unprecedented problems. While rejecting too rosy a view of the decade, and not seeking to whitewash those governments he shows that things were not as bad as the pessimists would suggest. The result is a synthesis which seeks to overturn myths and halftruths.

Acknowledgements. Part I: Introduction: . Part II: Politics: . 1. The Conservatives and the National Governments. 2. The Labour Party and Socialism. 3. The Liberals. 4. The Communists. 5. The Fascists. 6. Conclusion. Part III: Economy: . 1. Cyclical Trends. 2. Structural Change. 3. Government Economic Policy: Causes and Effects. 4. Conclusion. Part IV: Society: . 1. A Class–Ridden Society?. 2. Domestication and Privatization? Housing and Leisure. 3. Health, Welfare, and Social Policy. 4. Conclusion. Part V: Conclusion: . Appendix 1: General Election Results, 1924–45. Appendix 2: Unemployment, 1929–40. References and Guide to Further Reading.

Andrew Thorpe took degrees at the universities of Birmingham and Sheffield. He is the author of The British General Election of 1931 and editor of The Failure of Political Extremism in Inter–War Britain.

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