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"Professors Heyck and Lehmberg
are to be congratulated, and thanked. Their three volumes constitute
the best value in British history textbooks currently available. They
are as up-to-date in their attention to the Celtic experience of British
history as in that of the English. And the level of coverage they provide
makes them equally serviceable as principal texts in introductory-level
surveys or as supporting texts for upper-level courses."
— Simon Devereaux, University of Queensland
"No one else covers as much ground in such a thoroughly
readable manner. I will certainly use them."
— Lynn Schibeci, University of New Mexico
THE PEOPLES OF THE BRITISH ISLES: A New History
Volume III: .From 1870 to Present
Second Edition
Thomas William Heyck, Northwestern University
In three concise volumes, The Peoples of the British Isles: A New
History presents the history of all of the people of the British
Isles — England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales — from prehistoric
times to the present. Through the frameworks of cultural, intellectual,
and social history, the authors examine the conflicts, contrasts, and
commonalities among four different peoples and their cultures while
recognizing that people of all social levels, women as well as men,
deserve the attention of students of history.
Volume three covers historic developments in the British Isles from
1870 to the present and traces the erosion of Victorianism and subsequent
rise of modernism by highlighting economic, intellectual, and social
histories in addition to political history. Major themes include:
- Contraction of British industrial power and the shift of the economic
structure to finance and services
- Heightening class conflict in the 1920s followed by blurring of
class boundaries in the 1960’s
- Effect of two world wars on British economy, society, politics,
and culture
- Devolution of power from the centralized British state to assemblies
in Scotland and Wales
- Independence of the Irish Republic and continued conflict in Northern
Ireland
Features
- Compact, three volume format convenient for survey courses in semester
or quarter system (other books also use two volumes to cover 1688
to present)
- An interesting read— discussions of how people lived day to
day in addition to discussions of larger political movements
- Emphasizes story of all classes and both genders
- Full and fair treatment to the Celtic countries of the British Isles
and their interactions and conflicts with England
- Includes cultural history, examples of pertinent art, poetry (see
poets Sassoon and Owen p.145), and literature (see discussion of asceticism
pp. 38–41)
- Suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter includes
current scholarship
About the Author
Thomas William Heyck (Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin) is Professor
of History at Northwestern University. The author of four books and
numerous articles, Heyck has also written The Transformation of Intellectual
Life in Victorian England.
Contents
List of Illustrations
List of Maps
Preface
Part I The Decline of Victorian Britain, 1870–1914
1 Troubles in Economy and Society, 1970–1914
2 Crisis of Confidence, 1870–1914
3 Revival on the "Celtic Fringe"
4 Politics and the State, 1867–1914
5 Empire and Diplomacy in the Age of Imperialism, 1870–1914
Part II An Age of Total War, 1914–1945
6 The Great War, 1914–1918
7 The War and the Celtic Countries: Ireland Leaves the Union, 1914–1923
8 Economy, Society, and Culture Between the Wars, 1919–1939
9 Politics, Power, and the Coming of War, 1919–1939
10 Britain and World War II
Part III Britain in the Postwar World, 1945–1990
11 Welfare, Affluence, and Consensus, 1945–1970
12 Illusions of Power: Politics and Foreign Relations, 1945–1970
1
13 Economic Decline, Nationality, and Devolution: The Celtic
Countries, 1945–1980
14 Thatcher’s Britain, 1970–1990
15 Britain from the 1990s to the Millennium
Appendixes
Index
2002, Paper, 368 Pages, ISBN 978-0-925065-56-8, Price $45.95
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