Product Description

The second book in "The Pride and the Fall" sequence on British power in the 20th century, this work places Britain's decline since World War II in a new perspective. Based on an analysis of unpublished government records, the text shows that Britain's wartime performance, far from marking a supreme achievement of national genius and effort, was in reality characterized by all the classic symptoms of the "British disease". By the time they had taken down the bunting from the streets after V-E Day and turned from the war to the future, the British, in their dreams and illusions, and in their flinching from reality, had already written the scenario for Britain's post-war descent.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #123543 in Books
• Published on: 2001-08-10
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 381 pages

Customer Reviews

Deservedly influential book
The title of this book is a little confusing: it seeks to find causes in the conduct of British policy up to and including the end of the second world war to explain the collapse of Britain's superpower status after that war. It opens with the statement that the purpose of the book is to uncover the causes of Britain's protracted decline as an industrial country since the second world war. Many of the policies it criticises were develped over the preceding century or even further back.

There are two possible reasons why someone might want to read this book. The first would be to learn something from the ideas Barnett puts forward. You do not have to agree with everything in his thesis about the problems with Education and Training in Britain from the 19th century onwards, and consequent failures of leadership and management in many fields, to find his arguments compulsive reading and recognise that Barnett points to a lot of important lessons we can learn from the mistakes of the past.

The second possible reason to read it is that, whether you agree with it or not, this book had considerable impact in shaping government policy, particularly on education and training, particularly in the decade after it came out in 1986. If you want to understand why certain decisions were taken, such as the abolition of the distiction between Universities and the former Polytechnics, or the merger under John Major of the government departments responsible for training and education, reading this book will give you an insight into a world view which significantly influenced the minds of the people making those decisions.

Just to substantiate that point: one survey of what public figures were reading in the late 80's found that "The Audit of War" was cited as the most influential book they had read recently by more MPs of the governing party than any other book. In 1991 I asked the government minister in charge of training a question about the distinction between education and training, and he began his reply with the words "I wouldn't go all the way with Correlli Barnet on this" - clearly expecting that I and most of the rest of those in the room would recognise that he was referring to "The Audit of War." Barnett's ideas were praised accross the political spectrum from Thatcherites to Guardianistas and in due course Blairites - the minister quoted above eventually defected to New Labour.

Targets for Barnett's pointed criticisms in this book include the overoptimistic and unrealistic plans to create a "New Jerusalem" after the war: British exaltation of the idea of "muddling through" by the "practical man" over the idea of professionalism and proper training: short-termism and refusal to face the facts: and failure to recognise that skills, systems, and organisations both technical and social which were successful and ahead of their time in the 18th century were outmoded and a liability in the 20th. The book's chapter "Education for industrial decline" also makes a strong argument that the concept of a distinction between education and vocational training, which were then regarded in Britain as two completely different things, was artificial and damaging.

This book can be read on it's own or as the middle work of what the author described as his "Pride and Fall" sequence which began with "The Collapse of British Power (1972) and ends with "The Lost Victory" (1995)

Barnett does go over the top on occasion. At one point he wrote of the crowds celebrating VJ day that "Theirs was the psychology of a victor although their circumstances approximated more to those of a loser." If the inhabitants of the ruins of Berlin, Hamburg, or Dresden, or millions of other germans ruined or bereaved by the war gave any thought of comparing their circumstances with those of the average Brit at this time I doubt if they would have agreed.

Nevertheless, Barnett's book is incisive, powerful, thought provoking, and was deservedly influential. It is well worth a read.

polemical yet thorough & damning critique
Correlli Barnet is a polemical yet thoroughly challenging author. Using official war archives, he observes Britain's weak industrial record; based upon weak management, coupled with low investment and innovation. Highly recommended.

Home Truths A Little Too Telling!
I read this book many years ago and was very impressed with the author's eloquence, the depth of his research and the way he used statistics to support his argument. It's a depressing read for anyone born British in the latter half of the 20th century to have the decline of their once-great nation documented in such irrefutable and condemnatory language. However, as I reached the end I began to feel that Barnett was a little too fond of the Nazi leaders and a little too much in awe of their undeniable achievement in outproducing us in tanks and planes even while they were being heavily bombed day and night. What Barnett neglects to stress is that Germany had the luxury (!?) of relying on slave and forced labour and that as it was a totalitarian state. The fact that British shipyard workers went on strike during the war is one sense deplorable (because others were dying at the front) but in another sense it is something to be very proud of - the fact that democracy functioned even during wartime is something to be incredibly proud of. Yes, we bungled through and we were disorganised etc. compared with the Germans, but we were fighting for a noble cause, freedom and democracy, and we got there somehow, (almost one could say against the odds) and the whole world benefitted (except Britain!) as a result. I suspect that Barnett is a crypto-fascist - unfortunately he is a right (like fascists are) a lot of the time!