Britain 1740 1950

Originally published in 1992, this book provides students with a well-illustrated, clearly written text which offers a coherent overview of Britain’s development from a pre-modern to a modern economy and society. The key processes that have shaped the geography of modern Britain are rooted in the significant demographic, economic, technological and social transitions of the early eighteenth century, the impact of which was not fully diffused through the nation until the mid-20th Century. This country-wide survey examines the nature of this transformation. The material in the book is accessible because the book is clearly structured into 3 phases: 1740 to the 1830s; the 1830s to the 1890s and the 1890s to 1950. For each period, the principal aspects of change in population, industry, the countryside and urban life are examined, and regional examples given to support the analysis.

The key processes that have shaped the geography of modern Britain are rooted in the significant demographic, economic, technological and social transitions of the early eighteenth century, the impact of which was not fully diffused through the nation and its regions until the mid twentieth century. In this country-wide survey, Richard Lawton and Colin Pooley examine the nature of this transformation, the processes of structural change in British society and Britain's place within an international economy and polity.

In this concise survey, Helen Meller aims to explore the interaction of the social and physical environment of cities. All modern societies have experienced mass urbanisation, and have been subject to the economic, social and technological forces which have produced this urbanisation. Yet all towns and cities are not the same. The author points out that historical and cultural factors have played, and are still playing, an important part in shaping responses to these forces. This becomes even more clearly evident when the urban environment becomes subject to planning. Urban regeneration has facilitated not just an improvement in the physical environment of cities but in their economic and social fortunes as well. This study is an accessible analysis of the way in which social, cultural and physical factors have created the quality of life in British cities over the past two centuries.

A Companion to Contemporary Britain covers the key themesand debates of 20th-century history from the outbreak of the SecondWorld War to the end of the century. Assesses the impact of the Second World War Looks at Britain’s role in the wider world, including thelegacy of Empire, Britain’s ‘specialrelationship’ with the United States, and integration withcontinental Europe Explores cultural issues, such as class consciousness,immigration and race relations, changing gender roles, and theimpact of the mass media Covers domestic politics and the economy Introduces the varied perspectives dominating historicalwriting on this period Identifies the key issues which are likely to fuel futuredebate

The process of urbanisation and suburbanisation in Britain from the Victorian period to the twentieth century.

Poplulation migration is one of the demographic and social processes which have structured the British economy and society over the last 250 years. It affects individuals, families, communities, places, economic and social structures and governments. This book examines the pattern and process of migration in Britain over the last three centuries. Using late 1990s research and data, the authors have shed light on migrations patterns including internal migration and movement overseas, its impact on social and economic change, and highlights differences by gender, age, family, position, socio-economic status and other variables.

Between August 1918 and March 1919 a flu pandemic spread across the globe and in just under a year 40 million people had died from the virus worldwide. This is the first book to provide a total history and seriously analyze the British experiences during that time. The book provides the most up-to-date tally of the pandemic’s impact, including the vast mortality, as well as questioning the apparent origins of the pandemic. A ‘total’ history, this book ranges from the spread of the 1918–1919 pandemic, to the basic biology of influenza, and how epidemics and pandemics are possible, to consider the demographic, social, economic and political impacts of such a massive pandemic, including the cultural dimensions of naming, blame, metaphors, memory, the media, art and literature. An inter-disciplinary study, it stretches from history and geography through to medicine in order to convey the full magnitude of the first global medical ‘disaster’ of the twentieth century, and looks ahead to possible pandemics of the future. Niall Johnson brings an impressive scholarly eye on this fascinating and highly relevant topic making this essential reading for historians and those with an interest in British and medical history.

These essays trace the evolution of British geography as an academic discipline during the last hundred years, and stress how the study of the world we live in is fundamental to an understanding of its problems and concerns. Never before has such an ambitious and wide-ranging review been attempted, and never before has it been done with so much knowledge and passion. The principal themes covered in this volume are those of environment, place and space, and the applied geography of map-making and planning. The volume also addresses specific issues such as disease, urbanization, regional viability, and ethics and social problems. This lively and accessible work offers many insights into the minds and practices of today's geographers.