Twentieth-Century British Social Trends is a centennial record of the changing face of Britain in the twentieth century. Primarily statistical, the book sets out a broad description of how the life of the United Kingdom has developed from 1900 to 2000. But it is more than a guide or a reference book. Each chapter, written by a leading specialist, helps the reader to avoid the pitfalls of official statistics and also attempts to explain the arithmetic trends - economic, social and political - of our time.

Written by leading international scholars, Twentieth Century Britain investigates key moments, themes and identities in the past century. Engaging with cutting-edge research and debate, the essays in the volume combine discussion of the major issues currently preoccupying historians of the twentieth century with clear guidance on new directions in the theories and methodologies of modern British social, cultural and economic history. Divided into three, the first section of the book addresses key concepts historians use to think about the century, notably, class, gender and national identity. Organised chronologically, the book then explores topical thematic issues, such as multicultural Britain, religion and citizenship. Representing changes in the field, some chapters represent more recent fields of historical inquiry, such as modernity and sexuality.

This book maps how working class life was transformed in England in the middle years of the twentieth century. National trends in employment, welfare and living standards are illuminated via a focus on Brighton, providing valuable new perspectives of class and community formation. Based on fresh archival research, life histories and contemporary social surveys, the book historicises important cultural and community studies which moulded popular perceptions of class and social change in the post-war period. It shows how council housing, slum clearance and demographic trends impacted on working-class families and communities. While suburbanisation transformed home life, leisure and patterns of association, there were important continuities in terms of material poverty, social networks and cultural practices. This book will be essential reading for academics and students researching modern and contemporary social and cultural history, sociology, cultural studies and human geography.

From the beginning of the nineteenth century, Western Europe witnessed the emergence of a 'mass' society. Grand social processes, such as urbanization, industrialization and democratization, blurred the previous sharp distinctions that had divided society. This massive transformation is central to our understanding of modern society. Comparing the British and Dutch experience of mass society in the twentieth century, this book considers five major areas: politics, welfare, media, leisure and youth culture. In each section, two well-known specialists - one from each country - examine the conditions behind the rise of a mass society, and show how these conditions were distinctively British or Dutch. Drawing on history, cultural studies and sociology, the authors bring new insight into the development of modern European society.

This book should be of use to undergraduates reading modern British history, as well as students of modern British culture and society.