Overview

Labour's War is the first scholarly history of the Labour Party during the Second World War, and offers a fresh look at British politics during the war years. Stephen Brooke examines the effect of war upon the party's ideology and policy, the experience in government of Labour leaders such as Clement Attlee and Hugh Dalton, and the tensions produced within the party by the circumstances of war. Dr Brooke's extensively researched and original study calls into question the long-standing belief in an atmosphere of consensus among the political parties. His analysis uncovers the sharp ideological differences which persisted throughout the war years and after. He also demonstrates the impact of the war on the development of Labour's socialism. The Labour victory in the 1945 election remains one of the most significant turning-points in modern British history, setting Britain on a new course, towards the welfare state and the managed economy. The book is an important contribution to our understanding of how this came about.

Full Product Details

Author:   Stephen Brooke (Assistant Professor of History, Dalhousie University, and Carnegie Professor of History, University of King's College, Halifax, Nova Scotia)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press
Imprint:   Clarendon Press
Dimensions:   Width: 14.60cm , Height: 2.70cm , Length: 22.40cm
Weight:   0.595kg
ISBN:  

9780198202851

ISBN 10:   0198202857
Pages:   378
Publication Date:   02 July 1992
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order  
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

Table of Contents

Reviews

'This is a solid and substantial contribution to the slowly changing historical view of wartime politics.' Labour History Review, Vol 58, No 2, Autumn 1993 'thoroughly researched and carefully argued work ... Brooke has done important work here. ... Stephen Brooke has provided a detailed, nuanced treatment of Labour's wartime policies.' Albion, Summer 1993 Vol 25 No 2 '...excellent monograph...some of the liveliest writing in the book concerns the arguements within wartime socialism. Where Brooke does broaden out his study to good effect is in relating Labour Party Conference decisions to the formulation of policy. His detailed and perceptive handling of these themes and the light that he throws more generally on the Labour leadership's efforts to achieve social change within Churchill's government will ensure that his book will long remain a standard work.' Chris Wrigley, Times Higher Education '...in a powerful study...' Kenneth O Morgan, New Statesman and Society 'his discoveries are genuine, original and far reaching. ... His whole book could be read as a subtle and comprehensive contribution to present-day Labour Party debates.' Michael Foot, The Guardian 'both comprehensive and balanced, with much worthy detail' Times Literary Supplement 'impressively researched and vigorously argued book ... it ranks as one of the most important works on the domestic politics of the war since Paul Addison's seminal The Road to 1945.' F. Coetzee, Yale University, Choice, June '93 'Brooke's achievement is to have covered the subject in a single volume ... the book does make a worthy contribution to an important subject, providing a substantial amount of material and a coherent argument ... His best chapter concerns economic policy. His discussion of these complex matters ... is handled with skill.' Trevor Burridge, Universite de Montreal, Canadian Journal of History, XXVIII, April 1993 'This is a solid and substantial contribution to the slowly changing historical view of wartime politics ... a telling blow against those who see the Labour Party as incapable of formulating its own perspective and policies.' Steven Fielding, University of Salford, Labour History Review, Vol. 58, No. 2, Autumn 1993 'well-documented, well-argued' Trevor Lloyd, University of Toronto, The International History Review, XV, 4: November 1993 a detailed analysis of the art of program making. It is painstaking, thorough and reliable. Journal of Modern History incisive study of Labour politics in wartime Gillian Peele, History Today

incisive study of Labour politics in wartime * Gillian Peele, History Today * a detailed analysis of the art of program making. It is painstaking, thorough and reliable. * Journal of Modern History * 'well-documented, well-argued' Trevor Lloyd, University of Toronto, The International History Review, XV, 4: November 1993 'This is a solid and substantial contribution to the slowly changing historical view of wartime politics ... a telling blow against those who see the Labour Party as incapable of formulating its own perspective and policies.' Steven Fielding, University of Salford, Labour History Review, Vol. 58, No. 2, Autumn 1993 'Brooke's achievement is to have covered the subject in a single volume ... the book does make a worthy contribution to an important subject, providing a substantial amount of material and a coherent argument ... His best chapter concerns economic policy. His discussion of these complex matters ... is handled with skill.' Trevor Burridge, Universite de Montreal, Canadian Journal of History, XXVIII, April 1993 'impressively researched and vigorously argued book ... it ranks as one of the most important works on the domestic politics of the war since Paul Addison's seminal The Road to 1945.' F. Coetzee, Yale University, Choice, June '93 'both comprehensive and balanced, with much worthy detail' Times Literary Supplement `his discoveries are genuine, original and far reaching. ... His whole book could be read as a subtle and comprehensive contribution to present-day Labour Party debates.' Michael Foot, The Guardian `...in a powerful study...' Kenneth O Morgan, New Statesman and Society `...excellent monograph...some of the liveliest writing in the book concerns the arguements within wartime socialism. Where Brooke does broaden out his study to good effect is in relating Labour Party Conference decisions to the formulation of policy. His detailed and perceptive handling of these themes and the light that he throws more generally on the Labour leadership's efforts to achieve social change within Churchill's government will ensure that his book will long remain a standard work.' Chris Wrigley, Times Higher Education `thoroughly researched and carefully argued work ... Brooke has done important work here. ... Stephen Brooke has provided a detailed, nuanced treatment of Labour's wartime policies.' Albion, Summer 1993 Vol 25 No 2 `This is a solid and substantial contribution to the slowly changing historical view of wartime politics.' Labour History Review, Vol 58, No 2, Autumn 1993

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