Product Description

An analytical survey of Britain in the era of the Great War (focusing particularly on the period 1907-1922), which questions the common assumption that, because the war had a devastating impact on the British people, its social consequences must therefore have been equally apocalyptic and lasting. Dr. De Groot argues that prewar social structures and attitudes proved surprisingly resilient, and the innate conservatism of all classes in Britain ensured that postwar Britain was as little changed as new economic and technological circumstances allowed. There is more to the book, however, than its impressively argued thesis: rich with detail of life and culture from all levels of British society, this is a powerful and moving portrait of a nation under stress.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #230603 in Books
• Published on: 1996-06-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 376 pages

Review
 'well worth reading'.The Times 'well written and very readable...can be highly recommended'African History 'an important contribution to our knowledge of the background to British policy-making in  1918 and 1919'English Historical Review "The author's skill in blending social history with a narrative of the main political developments makes Blighty well-suited for student use. In many respects it provides a model of what this genre should be like."Albion

Customer Reviews

Blimey!
Gerard J. De Groot's, "Blighty" stands out amongst histories of the Great War from the British perspective. In it he tells the story of how the war affected much more than that relatively narrow strip of land called the Western Front and relates the impact it had upon British society as a whole.

The book sheds new light on many strongly held beliefs about the war, such as that most women worked in the munitions factories. In fact, the largest source of employment for female labour remaine domestic service despite the massive increase in armaments production. But this is to pick out only one very small element within a huge subject.

In this respect this book stands with Trevor Wilson's, "The Myriad Faces of War", ambitious in its range but soundly based upon a mountain of research. No understanding of the British experience in the Great War can be complete without reading this book (and Trevor Wilson's). Buy it - you won't be disappointed.