Product Description

Modern Britain is a nation shaped by wars. The boundaries of its separate parts are the outcome of conquest and resistance. Warrior heroes - real, imaginary and a mixture of both - are deeply embedded in the collective memories and culture of the English, Welsh, Scots and Irish. Boadicea, King Arthur, Wallace, Rob Roy and Henry V still enjoy a powerful hold over the imagination. Britishness has had a sense of collective identity which grew under careful official cultivation during the global struggles of the 18th century and found its most powerful expression during the world wars of the 20th. Modern war was seen as the ultimate test of a nation's moral and physical stamina, and Britain emerged with an enviable record which underpinned national pride and a sense of superiority that survived well into the second half of the 20th century. This book investigates and examines the part played by war in the making of Britain, embracing the most recent historical and archaeological research.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #258209 in Books
• Published on: 2002-09-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 879 pages

Review
'Compellingly written.Lawrence James has read unusually widely' -MRD Foot, SPECTATOR

About the Author
Lawrence James studied History and English at York University and subsequently undertook a research degree at Merton College, Oxford. Following a career as a teacher, he became a full-time writer in 1985.

Customer Reviews

A Good Thematic Narrative
Mr James has produced yet another very readable, extremely well researched book. He has approached the history of the British at war in six thematic parts from the Roman conquests to the total war of the twentieth century. He highlights the social and political change brought on by war. I particularly found one of the chapters on the Second World War highlighting the political conciousness of the servicemen and the wartime planning for the post war renaissance very interesting. Despite the littering of typographical errors the book is well worth buying.

A social history of the British at War
Military history badly told can make cold and uninteresting reading. This explains the success of writers such as Lynn MacDonald who strive to bring the history down to a personal level. To this latter category must now be added Lawrence James with this weighty offering telling the social history of the British fighting man.
Lawrence James has concentrated on the experience of the British at war and, whilst purists may find plenty with which to quibble,this book must be congratulated upon the breadth of it's coverage from the Romans until 2000. Had this book been written after 9/11, it would have been interesting to see the author's view as those tragic events make the ending of the book seem premature. Certainly Tony Blair's policy in Iraq would make good reading and, I suspect, prompt James' to make some typically thought-provoking comments. Unfortunately, this exclusion makes the book seem like something from another era.
The writing is fluid and full of obscure facts and statistics. Naturally, the Napoleonic era and WW1 dominate the book.
The section on medieval history is particularly good and James' research must be complimented. If you want to know how much it cost a knight to buy his armour and his horse, the information is in here. Soldiers talk to us about their fears and opinions of the wars they fought through the ages. For this reader, this was the strength of this book and makes for a compelling narrative.
This is complimented by fascinating statistics and accounts that challenge popular opinion. I particularly enjoyed the section on the Navy with it's insights into the success rates of surgeons.
My only reservations would be the lack of detail about the colonial wars between 1850 -1914 and the way the post 1945 appears to have been glossed over. Surely the British people's growing aversion to war merits comment ? I also think that the dates tended to jump around a bit in some sections.
This effort will appeal to the general reader of history who should not be put off by the volume of this book. The task that James' has set himself given the thoroughness with which he has carried out his research, is almost impossible. "Warrior Race" is a brave effort to evoke the Briton's perception of war as he fought in the British Isles, overeas, on the oceans and in the air against his foes.

Brilliant account of empire and war
Lawrence James, the distinguished independent historian of the British Empire, has written a fascinating account of Britain's wars and their impact on British culture. It is based on huge research in private papers and secondary sources.

It is in six parts: conquests 43-1100, disputed lands 1110-1603, civil wars 1637-1800, overseas wars 1660-1870, total war 1914-1919, and the people's wars 1919-2000. He constantly notes the forces' pay and conditions, and tells us how the fighting and killing must have felt.

Part I depicts the conquests by Romans, Vikings and Danes. Part II tells of the wars against Ireland, Wales and Scotland that determined Britain's shape. The hundred years' war against France (1337-1453) started with the early victory of Crecy, then slowly collapsed into military debacles abroad and spiralling debt and taxes at home. At this time, chivalric tales glamorised war, setting up the lasting themes of crusade and sacrifice, 'Church and King', 'king and country', and 'natural leaders' (public school prefect types) 'rallying the ranks'.

In Part III, James includes under 'civil wars' the American War of Independence and Ireland's 1798 rebellion, which were really national liberation wars against colonial oppression.

In Part IV, he tells us about the vast wars for empire: the second hundred years' war against France (1688-1815), the wars to seize and control India (1757-1858) and its North West frontier (1897-1924), the 64 years war to control China (1840-1904) and the South African (1879-1902) and North African wars (1882-1898). These cast some doubt on the slogan 'Pax Britannica'.

Part V looks at World War One, where James damns Earl Haig's reliance on attrition and 'fighting spirit'. Part VI examines World War Two and the many bloody retreats from Empire.

To finish he asks, 'What next?', answering 'further wars of intervention' and 'the wonders of the electronic battlefield'.

This brilliantly written and deeply researched account proves, possibly against the author's intentions, that capitalism means empire and empire means war. The ruling class alone gains from capitalism, empire and war. Our working class is not a warrior race, a nation of Ghurkhas; we are for industry and peace.