British Politics and Society
About the Book Series
Social change impacts not just upon voting behaviour and party identity but also the formulation of policy. But how do social changes and political developments interact? Which shapes which? Reflecting a belief that social and political structures cannot be understood either in isolation from each other or from the historical processes which form them, this series will examine the forces that have shaped British society and culture. Cross- disciplinary approaches will be encouraged. In the process, the series will aim to make a contribution to existing fields, such as politics, history, sociology and media studies, as well as opening out new and hitherto-neglected fields.
Sir Orme Sargent and British Policy Towards Europe, 1926–1949
1st Edition
By Adam Richardson
August 26, 2024
This book examines the career of Sir Orme Sargent, one of the most important and distinguished British diplomats of the twentieth century. For almost a quarter of century, Sargent helped shape British policy towards Europe. Covering the period from 1926 to 1949, this study explores Sargent and ...
Power and Political Economy from Thatcher to Blair: The Great Enemy of Democracy?
1st Edition
By Robert Ledger
September 26, 2022
This book investigates the policies of the Thatcher, Major and Blair governments and their approaches towards concentration of economic and political power. The 1979–2007 British governments have variously been described as liberal or, to use a political insult and a favourite academic label, ...
Windrush (1948) and Rivers of Blood (1968): Legacy and Assessment
1st Edition
Edited
By Trevor Harris
June 30, 2021
This volume looks at Britain since 1948 – the year when the Empire Windrush brought a group of 492 hopeful Caribbean immigrants to the United Kingdom. “Post-war Britain” may still be the most common label attached to studies in contemporary British history, but the contributors to this book believe...
The Western European Union: International Politics Between Alliance and Integration
1st Edition
By Sally Rohan
September 30, 2020
This full-term study of the Western European Union (WEU) brings to life the history of Europe’s search for a co-operative security and defence order, from its post World War II origins to the present day. Establishing the WEU as a support organization, designed to promote the two security "ideas" ...
The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War: Culture and Strategy
1st Edition
By Alastair Finlan
October 12, 2017
This book suggests that institutional culture can account for a great deal of the activities and rationale of the Royal Navy. War highlights the role of culture in military organizations and as such acts as a spotlight by which this phenomenon can be assessed seperately and then in comparison in ...
Civil Service Commission 1855-1991: A Bureau Biography
1st Edition
By Richard A. Chapman
November 18, 2016
The Civil Service Commision was created in 1855 and became the key institution in the development of the British civil service. Its work was primarily the recruitment of civil servants by fair methods, treating all qualified applicants equally, and using open competitions wherever practicable. It ...
A Life of Sir John Eldon Gorst: Disraeli's Awkward Disciple
1st Edition
By Archie Hunter
August 26, 2016
This is the first book to tell the story of on eof the most contentious figures in Victorian and Edwardian politics: that of the independent-minded and exceptionally able Conservative politician, Sir John Eldon Gorst....
Britain, Israel and the United States, 1955-1958: Beyond Suez
1st Edition
By Orna Almog
June 17, 2016
Orna Almog examines the Anglo-Israeli relationship from 1955 to 1958 in the context of the Cold War, superpower rivalry and political upheaval in the Middle East. The author reveals how the British foreign service mistook Israeli thinking for psychological weakness and made errors of judgement....
Government, the Railways and the Modernization of Britain: Beeching's Last Trains
1st Edition
By Charles Loft
April 27, 2016
More than 40 years after its publication, the 1963 Beeching Report on British railways remains controversial for recommending the closure of a third of Britain’s railways. In this book, Charles Loft examines: why the nationalized railways were in such dire financial straits by 1963 how ...
The Labour Party in Opposition 1970-1974
1st Edition
By Patrick Bell
March 03, 2016
1970 to 1974 was a pivotal period in the history of the Labour Party. This book shows how the Labour Party responded to electoral defeat in 1970 and to what extent its political and policy activity in opposition was directed to the recovery of power at the following general election. At a point in ...
Scottish Nationalism and the Idea of Europe: Concepts of Europe and the Nation
1st Edition
By Atsuko Ichijo
February 29, 2016
'Independence in Europe', adopted by the Scottish National Party (SNP) as its core policy in 1988, has become part and parcel of contemporary Scottish nationalism. But is this not a contradiction in terms? Nationalistic logic dictates that one cannot demand independence while accepting the ...
British Government Policy and Decolonisation, 1945-63: Scrutinising the Official Mind
1st Edition
By Frank Heinlein
December 07, 2015
This book is an in-depth study of the importnace of the Empire-Commonwealth in the two decades after WWII for Britain's self-image as a great power. By studying a wide range of debates on general and specific imperial problems, the book highlights the "official mind" of decolonization - and of ...