Blighty: British Society in the Era of the Great War [Paperback]

Gerard J. De Groot (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1996 | ISBN-10: 0582061377 | ISBN-13: 978-0582061378

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.

Editorial Reviews

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

Product Details

• Paperback: 344 pages
• Publisher: Pearson Prentice Hall (June 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0582061377
• ISBN-13: 978-0582061378
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,228,644 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Full of interesting information, November 26, 2003

By 

Schmerguls "schmerguls" (Sioux City, Ia USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Blighty: British Society in the Era of the Great War (Paperback)

This is a 1996 book covering the same subject as The Deluge: British Society and the First World War, by Arthur Marwick (read by me with much appreciation 20 Oct 1985), and anyone interested in Britain at home during the Great War will be caught up by this book. Especially worthwhile to me was Chapter 14, entitled "The Dead, the Living, and the Living Dead" which considers memorials and observances of the men who served in the War. An especially attractive feature of DeGroot's style is his frequent quoting from wartime poetry. For instance, I was struck by these evocative lines quoted from Ivor Gurney:

He's gone, and all our plans
Are useless indeed;
We'll walk no more on Cotswold
Where the sheep feed
Quietly and take no heed.

There is an excellent bibliography and I counted 24 books therein which I have read. But of course there are books therein which I would like to read, if I live long enough--as is always true in a good bibliography in a book on a fascinating subject such as the subject of this book.