List of Figures x List of Tables xi Notes on Contributors xiii Introduction 1 1 The Impact of the Second World War 3 Paul Addison 2 The Impact of the Cold War 23 Harriet Jones 3 Population and the Family 42 Pat Thane 4 Cities, Suburbs, Countryside 59 Mark Clapson 5 Class 76 Arthur Marwick 6 Immigration and Racism 93 Wendy Webster 7 Sport and Recreation 110 Richard Holt 8 Youth Culture 127 Bill Osgerby 9 Sexuality 145 Lesley A. Hall 10 Economic ‘Decline’ in Post-War Britain 164 Jim Tomlinson 11 The Transformation of the Economy 180 Hugh Pemberton 12 The Geography of Economic Change 203 P. W. Daniels 13 Living Standards and Consumption 226 Ina Zweiniger-Bargielowska 14 Gender: Change and Continuity 245 Dolly Smith Wilson 15 Welfare, Poverty and Social Inequalities 263 Janet Fink 16 Education 281 Roy Lowe 17 Health 297 John Welshman 18 Rewriting the Unwritten Constitution 315 Andrew Blick 19 The Secret State 333 Richard J. Aldrich 20 Rethinking the ‘Rise and Fall’ of Two-Party Politics 351 Steven Fielding 21 The Rise and Disintegration of the Working Classes 371 Robert Taylor 22 The Growth of Social Movements 389 Holger Nehring 23 Civil Society 407 Nicholas Deakin 24 The Politics of Devolution 427 Christopher Harvie 25 The Politics of Northern Ireland 444 Thomas Hennessey 26 Britain in the World Economy 463 Catherine R. Schenk 27 The End of Empire 482 Bill Schwarz 28 The Anglo-American ‘Special Relationship’ 499 Michael F. Hopkins and John W. Young 29 Britain and Europe 517 James Ellison 30 British Defence Policy 539 Simon Ball Select Bibliography 556 Index 567

A Companion to Contemporary Britain covers the key themes and debates of twentieth-century history from the outbreak of the Second World War to the end of the century. Comprising 30 essays written by leading international scholars, it provides readers with a single-volume reference to the varied perspectives dominating historical writing on this period. The volume opens with an assessment of the impact of war, before moving on to examine Britain’s continuing role in the wider world, particularly the legacy of Empire, Britain’s "special relationship" with the United States, and integration with continental Europe. Domestic politics, the economy, society, and popular culture are also covered, including such topics as class consciousness, immigration and race relations, changing gender roles, and the impact of the mass media. Where essays include discussion of the last years of the century, they often present the first assessment of recent developments from a self-consciously historical perspective.

A CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title of the Year "This companion makes it easy to survey subjects quickly for the latest and best historiography, and provides lots of avenues by which to travel for further knowledge." (Journal of World History, September 2009) "[This volume] lives us to [the] high expectations of the series of Blackwell Companions. Informed, wide-ranging and up-to-date syntheses cover what might be regarded as standard subjects like the Second World War ... and the transformation of the British economy. More importantly, there are chapters on topics ignored by most histories of Britain; for example ... the suburbanization of Britain, sport and youth culture." (History) "A definitive textbook for contemporary British history. Its breadth of subjects is compelling, and the quality of its contributions ... superb, with many subjects dealt with by authors able to pour a career’s worth of groundbreaking research into their introductory surveys. Praise must be given for a consistently informative volume, which places so many interpretations and discussions in one place. Overall, Addison and Jones can congratulate themselves for editing a superb collection, one that can reasonably lay claim to being the foremost textbook on contemporary British history." (Reviews in History)