History – 350 pages – my copy (paperback; 2003) borrowed from Plymouth University library during December 2011
- 3 nods out of 5 -
Ah, British History: what bookshelf would be complete without a volume on the past of these small islands of ours? Of course, much of history writing has been targeted towards the good and the glorious; for instance, the ‘Glorious Revolution’ of 1689 and the ‘Good War’ of 1939-1945. Amidst all this congratulatory back-slapping there is also the British history book that dares venture further, away from the celebration and glitz to turn to the side our past does not wish to reveal: the squalor, the inequality, the pain and the suffering.
Twentieth century political history has had its fair share of the good, the bad and the ugly. Britain won two world wars and one world cup; but it also denied women the vote for its first two decades. Britain was a superpower with the largest world empire; yet it trampled upon the beliefs of others to do so. Contradictory responses are to be found in abundance, and any new book to add to the cannon that seriously studies this period is always welcome.
And so we turn to Rubinstein’s effort to condense one hundred years into a few hundred pages. The author narrates large, stretching themes in this political history: the decline of the Liberal party, the rise of Labour, the defeat of extremism, and the overall outstanding consistency of the Conservatives. More than this, Rubinstein dotes upon the key figures in this century: Balfour, Asquith, Lloyd-George, Bonar Law, MacDonald, Baldwin, Chamberlain (all 3 of them!), Churchill, Attlee, Macmillan, Thatcher, and enough space for a brief cameo from our good friend Tony Blair (or perhaps not such a close friend anymore). There are the forgotten Prime Ministers (anyone remember Campbell-Bannerman? Thought not); as well as the desperate (Oswald Mosley of the British Union of Fascists included).
Rubinstein’s history is a throughout good book, as the reader would expect from an esteemed academic. However, it never moves beyond this to consume the reader, to bring the past to life, to throw the reader into its story and consume them. Furthermore, the Worm found a growing irritation in the author’s devotion to the first fifty years of the century (pages 1 to 230), whilst the final fifty years are given little more than one hundred pages to survive on. The Worm holds his hands up to admit that the first half of the century is home to two world wars; but in contrast, Mr Andrew Marr solved such a problem by the publishing of two books (The History of Modern Britain and The Making of Modern Britain).
If not a recommended read for the new reader, Rubinstein’s effort is one to be enjoyed by fans of British politics. No doubt it will unearth some unknown, hidden gem of trivia or knowledge; after all, this is the era of the likes of dynamic politicians such as Winston Churchill and David Lloyd George. Looking around him at the current state of politics, the Worm has little to no confidence that a volume could be printed on the exploits on the likes of Cameron, Clegg and Miliband.
NB: The Worm apologises for ending this review on the pitiful names of the above “politicians”; please accept his full hearted request for forgiveness.
Buy it here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Twentieth-century-Britain-Political-William-Rubinstein/dp/0333772245/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327677578&sr=8-1
