Modern Britain Third Edition

Praise for the first edition: 'Royle calls on an impressive range of materials (supported by an excellent bibliography) to offer a judicious review of most of the issues currently confronted by social historians. His agenda contains both traditional and novel elements [...] all are presented with admirable clarity and balance. [...] A volume which shows an astonishing command of such a wide range of material will long prove essential reading.' Times Literary Supplement This popular work provides an in-depth historical background to issues of contemporary concern, tracing developments over the past two and a half centuries. It promotes accessibility by adopting a thematic approach, with each theme treated chronologically. Major themes are chosen partly by their importance to an understanding of the past and partly by their relevance to students of contemporary Britain - rather than by imposing current fashions in historical study on the past. Thoroughly revised, the third edition of Modern Britain reviews and brings up to date the content to take account of developments since 1997 and reconsiders emphases and interpretations in light of more recent scholarship. It incorporates new currents in historical writing on matters such as the language of class, the position of women, and the revolution worked by the Internet and mobile technologies. Modern Britain is vital reading for students of history and the social and political sciences.

Fully revised and updated, the third edition of this deservedly popular history book incorporates new currents in historical writing on matters such as the language of class, the position of women, and the revolution worked by the Internet and mobile technologies.

The Social Structure of Modern Britain, Third Edition is a comprehensive account of the social structure of modern Britain. Aspects of social structure are examined from a historical and comparative perspective. The book includes statistical information, not only on the more obvious areas like births, deaths, and immigration, but also on such lesser known (but no less important) topics as leisure behavior, income and wealth, and trends in criminal and other deviant activities. Comprised of six chapters, this book begins with an introduction to the demographic features of British society, including population trends in the twentieth century, socio-economic aspects of population, and fertility and mortality trends, along with the effects of immigration on demography. Subsequent chapters focus on the family, social class, and education as well as leisure and pleasure. The final chapter is devoted to three major mechanisms of social control in British society: religion, political institutions, and law enforcement. In particular, it assesses the extent to which religious beliefs and political attitudes exert control over people's thoughts and behavior, together with the definition of crime, the causes of criminal behavior, and the aims of a penal system. This monograph will be a useful resource for sociologists and social scientists.

Since first publication in 1976, Modern Britain has been widely used as a comprehensive and straightforward introduction to some of the most important features of British life today. The author provides a clear account of a wide range of topics that are keys to understanding the British culture including the system of government, the structure of education, the social services, family life and the mass media.This third edition has been fully revised to take account of important developments and current debates, such as whether the monarchy has become too expensive, the role of the poll tax in Margaret Thatcher's downfall, and the Church of England's decision to ordain women priests.While writing this book John Irwin has been particularly conscious of the needs of foreign students, but Modern Britain will be equally useful to school students in Britain and, indeed, to anyone with an interest in knowing how modern British institutions developed and how they work today.

The Holocaust is a pervasive presence in British culture and society. Schools have been legally required to deliver Holocaust education, the government helps to fund student visits to Auschwitz, the Imperial War Museum's permanent Holocaust Exhibition has attracted millions of visitors, and Britain has an annually commemorated Holocaust Memorial Day. What has prompted this development, how has it unfolded, and why has it happened now? How does it relate to Britain's post-war history, its contemporary concerns, and the wider "globalisation" of Holocaust memory? What are the multiple shapes that British Holocaust consciousness assumes and the consequences of their rapid emergence? Why have the so-called "lessons" of the Holocaust enjoyed such popularity in Britain? Through analysis of changing engagements with the Holocaust in political, cultural and memorial landscapes over the past generation, this book addresses these questions, demonstrating the complexities of Holocaust consciousness and reflecting on the contrasting ways that history is used in Britain today.

In this book the former head of Mrs Thatcher's policy unit looks at the state of the British Constitution at a crucial time in its history, arguing that recent years have seen an increased willingness to monitor itself on the part of the Establishment, but that more audacious reforms are needed to restore full confidence in Parliament, government and the legal system.