Based on a vast range of previously unpublished material, this book is the only detailed and comprehensive account of the policies, programs, and personalities of the powerful and influential Attlee government. Morgan provides in-depth portraits of key figures of the period and compares Britain during these years with other postwar European nations.

Francis examines the relationship between socialist ideas and the policies of the 1945-51 Labour government, insisting that Labour ministers applied specifically socialist precepts to the exercise of power during this period.

This book, by the author of the best-seller 'Winston Churchill' , is a concise reassessment of the first postwar British Governments based upon original sources - a task not previously attempted by any scholar. While sympathetic to Labour's aims in the 1945 general election campaign - which itself receives fresh treatment - Henry Pelling exposes areas of difficulty and weakness in the Government's strategy and uncovers the doubts and hesitations of its leaders. Much of the evidence comes from official papers recently released to the Public Record Office; but the private papers of Attlee, Morrison, Bevin and Dalton, among others, have been drawn upon to add details to the story. For the first time, too, there is a study of the importance of Marshall Aid, as well as of the friction that is occassioned behind-the-scenes with the Truman Administration and the US Congress. Highly readable, this book makes a major contribution to recent history and to a better understanding of the present political and international situation.

In 1945 the Labour Government set about a major transformation of British society, Dr Jefferys's analyses the main changes and relates them to debates within the Labour party, on the nature of its aims and how best to achieve them.

The Labour governments of 1945-51 are among the most important and controversial in modern British history, and have been the focus of extensive research over the last fifteen years. In this study, Robert Pearce makes the results of this research available in a concise and accessible form, whilst encouraging students to formulate their own interpretations. He looks at the main political personalities of the period, sets their work in the context of Labour history since 1900, and examines their domestic, foreign and imperial achievements.

"In 1945 a Labour government with socialist aspirations was elected. Prior to this, much of the Left's political energy had been directed towards nationalisation and the private sector had been seen as peripheral. Equally the private sector was ill-prepared to deal with a Labour government. Despite the coolness between the two, the war had left a legacy of a high level of interaction between private industry and the forces of government." "Labour Governments and Private Industry examines in detail the complex relationship between the Labour government and the private sector. The first part of the book analyses the types of policy in operation and their implementation. The second part takes certain sectors of British industry as case studies, to consider the practical application of these policies. Throughout the book, the contributors focus their arguments around three main questions. To what extent were the policies of this Labour government actually socialist? What was the role of the Labour government as a modernising agency in the private sector? What was the power of private industry to hinder the policies of the government?" "Despite the centrality of the years 1945-51 for an understanding of Britain's long-term industrial problems, this is the first historical study of the relationship between privately-owned industry and the government during the period. Its relevance for contemporary politics can hardly be overestimated. This reconsideration of a crucial period, with the benefits of the modern perspective, is timely and necessary."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved