History of Modern Britain [Hardcover]

Andrew Marr (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1405005386 | ISBN-13: 978-1405005388 | Publication Date: November 30, 2007

"A History of Modern Britain" confronts head-on the victory of shopping over politics. It tells the story of how the great political visions of New Jerusalem or a second Elizabethan Age, rival idealisms, came to be defeated by a culture of consumerism, celebrity and self-gratification. In each decade, political leaders thought they knew what they were doing, but find themselves confounded. Every time, the British people turn out to be stroppier and harder to herd than predicted. Throughout, Britain is a country on the edge first of invasion, then of bankruptcy, then on the vulnerable front line of the Cold War and later in the forefront of the great opening up of capital and migration now reshaping the world. This history follows all the political and economic stories, but deals too with comedy, cars, the war against homosexuals, Sixties anarchists, oil-men and punks, Margaret Thatcher's wonderful good luck, political lies and the true heroes of British theatre. It accompanies a major five-part documentary series for BBC television.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"'Superb, colourful, outspoken, fresh and richly entertaining. Don't miss' The Times 'Lively, full of rich anecdotes and sparkling pen portraits. He has the rare gift of being able to explain complex issues in a few crisp sentences' Sunday Telegraph" --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Andrew Marr was born in Glasgow. He graduated from Cambridge University and has enjoyed a long career in political journalism, working for the Scotsman, the Independent , the Economist, the Express and the Observer. From 2000 to 2005 he was the BBC's Political Editor. Andrew's broadcasting includes series on contemporary thinkers for BBC 2 and Radio 4, political documentaries for Channel 4 and BBC Panorama, and Radio 4's 'Start The Week'.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 629 pages
• Publisher: Trans-Atlantic Publications, Inc. (November 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1405005386
• ISBN-13: 978-1405005388
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,314,105 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Read, August 12, 2009

By 

Steven Stewart (Liverpool) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A History of Modern Britain (Paperback)

An astonishing accomplishment and an intriguing read. Andrew Marr is a political journalist with a respected career. He currently has his own television show in which he discusses the top stories of the week from the political world and this is definitely his main hook for the book in which he tackles over 60 years of British history. Focusing mainly on the politics since world war two, Marr gives his an impartial look at the premiership of each PM right up to the closing stages of the Blair years. He focuses on their blunders and their successes and tries to give a different spin on the premiership of those who are historically called a disaster, such as the Callaghan Labour government of the 70s.

His writing ability is superb as he manages to discuss an event which, to some, may be one of the biggest events in post war Britain and make it understandable yet, at the same time, detailed. His writing style is effective and makes the entire book fun to read and when I engage in it I find myself reading on and on and the time flies by. Some of my favourite moments are his discussions of the politics when he's talking about such things as the formation of the NHS under the Atlee Labour government, the fall of the Churchill era during his final term as PM and also such things as the three day week and the unforeseeable rise of Thatcher. I enjoyed the odd dip into non-political subjects such as music and fashion, but he really shines during his political analysis.

He is a very sympathetic story teller and doesn't have an agenda when discussing the lives of some of the most disastrous people in a particular government. One thing I did seem to resent was that he just sailed over the Irish conflict and never really gave it much of a talking point as he simply pointed out that events such as Bloody Sunday occurred and then moved on. It's understandable why he couldn't go into too much detail, but I would have preferred if he had committed a bit more time to the troubles. Otherwise this is a really well written book and it's fantastic to know that he's currently working on a book that focuses on the first half of the century which I will definitely be picking up.

I would rate this very highly and recommend it to anyone with even a light interest in the history of Britain. Ignoring all the typing errors that occurred from time to time you can really enjoy this as a casual book on history and can give you some great points that you can explore in much more detail.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a fascinating history of our times, November 27, 2008

By 

John G. Ellis "Urbanist" (San Francisco CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A History of Modern Britain (Paperback)

This is a marvellous book that thoughtfully and perceptively explores the twists and turns of British society over the last 65 years. Marr's skill as a narrator, his insights into what the political and economic forces that have transformed Britain from the austerity and heroism of post war Britain to the multi-cultural global economy/ consumer driven society of the Millennium is the work of a first rate historian. He brings to life so many of the characters who have influenced British politics, not just the Prime Ministers, but figures such as Ernest Bevin, Roy Jenkins, Tony Benn, Denis Healey and others. Marr also examines the cultural and social changes that have taken place and allows us to marvel and wonder at the country and its people that have evolved from the pioneers of the Welfare State into todays' consumers and customers.
I read this book from cover to cover on a return flight from London to San Francisco and couldn't put it down until finished!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AUDIO CD Review: Different to the TV Series, October 5, 2010

By 

Magic Lemur (Somewhere in Madagascar) - See all my reviews

This review is from: History of Modern Britain (Audio CD)

Getting this for my Birthday, I was dreading that it was just a rehash and a promotion of the series on TV.
Indeed, it has many similarities, but there is enough fresh in here to make full use of the different medium.

As something of a history and politics buff, I found his assessment of most of our post-war leaders to be fair, frank and not as pessimistic as some historians have been about this period (e.g. The Very Bloody History of Britain: 1945-Now). Considering his ending moral as well (that all political careers end in failure) the book has a freshness and authenticity coupled with a sense of idealism (rather than cynicism) that often pervades political writings.

One criticism that I'm not sure many listeners will be aware of though is that Marr appears to have quite a fondness for Thatcher. This comes over especially in his pronouncement that only 'only the 1945-51 Labour Administration and Thatcher's first two terms really dealt successfully with Britain's problems'. I note that he omits Blair's first term.
Minor quibble though this is, I am a Thatcherite and am aware that not everyone thinks her policies were good - in fact most are divided on the subject altogether.

That being said, one criticism I don't uphold is that this is purely 'political history' - it may concentrate on that as his specialty, but there are also many elements of social, cultural & even comedic history which keep the narrative interesting.

And, best of all, Andrew Marr passes the test of being both a good narrator AND a good author (which is so rarely achieved in this format). And for that, I would say that this book (in any format) is a worthwhile purchase and is easy to absorb, while not compromising on facts.