In the early 1950s Great Britain was a nation in transition. On the one hand it was still an imperial power, a workshop to much of the world, a land with a tradition-bound patriarchal society. Yet on the other it was seeing the first results of the many social and economic changes underway, with the clearing of the Victorian-era slums, the growing challenges of a multi-racial population, and the rapid proliferation of television just some of the signs pointing to the future that was to come. This transition and the people who faced it are the subjects of David Kynaston’s book, which chronicles life in Britain between the Festival of Britain in 1951 and Prime Minister Anthony Eden’s resignation six years later.

In many respects Kynaston’s book is less a narrative of these years than a panorama that allows the reader to take in details both large and small. Through them he depicts the emergence of what he calls a “proto-consumerist” society from years of rationing and deprivation. As Britain shook off the postwar austerity, its citizens embraced the burgeoning prosperity as their due after their years of sacrifice. As Kynaston demonstrates it was a reward enjoyed by a broader swath of society than ever before, yet as more people enjoyed the benefits of prosperity a growing number of concerns were expressed about the damage being done to society, of the breakdown of communities and the rebelliousness of youth.

Kynaston recounts these years in a sympathetic and perceptive manner. Seemingly nothing is too insignificant to escape his attention, while his ability to draw significance from these trivial facts supplies added depth his account of the events and developments of the era. Yet his narrative never bogs down in the facts, transitioning smoothly from one topic to another without ever losing his reader’s interest. The result is a magnificent work, a worthy sequel to his earlier volume, and one that leaves its readers eager for the next installment in his “Tales of a New Jerusalem” series. ( )

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2551939.html

This is the second volume of Tales of a New Jerusalem, a series of books pulling together the findings of Mass-Observation and various other sources to create a detailed, almost week-by-week popular history of Britain. (The first volume covers 1945-51, and the third 1957-59; Kynaston's plan is to take it up to Margaret Thatcher's election in 1979.) It's a tremendous piece of work, but I'll stipulate up front that it has limitations - although the title references "Britain", it's mainly England, with some Wales and a very small amount of Scotland; Northern Ireland is mentioned precisely once.

Having said that, I still found it very interesting, and if you are English or particularly interested in England it will be fascinating. Particular highlights are Kynaston's analysis of Fifties sexuality, both straight and gay (though I missed any reflection on how things might have been different during the War); his account of the political arguments around race (though here I would have liked to see some framing in terms of theory); his careful account of the major capital punishment cases (Derek Bentley and Ruth Ellis); the story, which I had not fully appreciated before, of how the Church of England's intereference in Princess Margaret's love life was a key tipping point for secularisation; the general opening up of society to new influences, with television and Elvis replacing cinema and music hall in the course of these few years; and the end of rationing and its effect on the nation's gastronomic aspirations.

I know it's not the story Kynaston is trying to tell, but I'd also have liked either more or less on the politics of the day (as well as some more theoretical reflections). Enough major figures have now left memoirs, and enough records are now public, that the contemporary newspaper accounts of what was going on in government could have been backed up quite substantially by the inside story, rather than just using the views of a few individuals. The big picture in any case is fascinating enough. ( )

A superb social history of Britain in the years of recovery after the war. Kynaston uses surveys from Mass Observation, diaries and the reminiscences of the famous and the unknown to build a picture from the smallest fragments and compulsive reading it is (as was Austerity Britain before it). You learn so much more from the diary of a housewife in an industrial northern town than from any number of speeches by politicians. There are many joys to be found here; at this distance received wisdom tells us that the Coronation was a huge event in the national consciousness - and yet Kynaston produces evidence that many were unmoved. The advent of television and especially commercial television are viewed with suspicion by politicians and worthies - but there is no doubt that the people want it. Gender relations, sex, the emergence of the teenager, immigration and multiculturalism, the growing power of unions, the growth of nationalised services from ideals to lumbering bureaucracies, pop music and pop culture are all handled beautifully. The only thing missing is a discussion of national service - which would seem relevant in a post war society

Overall great stuff, and am really looking forward to the next volume ( )

I loved Austerity Britain, the first in Kynaston's series that I think will go into the late 1970s. This book too was a very good and informative read, and no doubt would be even more so for someone who is British and especially someone who can remember these years.
Britain was finally off rationing, but would it become the New Jerusalem dreamed of by so many who had voted in the immediate post war Labor government or would the incoming Conservative government change things? In fact I think it is clear that the Conservatives did very little to change what Labor had put in place because the majority of the British liked the new welfare state, and who can blame them after 2 world wars and a vicious global recession? But the seeds for Britain's decline were also sown, as the old factories and newly powerful unions drained Britain's industry of the lead she had since the Industrial Revolution. Yes people were made materially better, but the inherent reluctance of the British to accept that maybe things were done better on the continent or, even worse, by the Americans, meant that this decline would only be addressed by the Thatcher Revolution. ( )

I think the general reader will find this book long and somewhat disjointed. I enjoy reading the history of England but, felt as though I were an outsider reading this complex and detailed social history of Britain in the 1950's. While this book certainly belongs on the shelf I think perhaps it is more suited to the student of British history rather than a casual reader. People and events pop in and out of this volume that have not be introduced previously.

My hope is that because I read this series out of sequence I'll have a better understanding of this volume once I read the 1st volume.

Still, I recommend this book as it does present a history of Britain from a fresh perspective. ( )