This third edition of British Political History, 1867–2001 is an accessible summary of major political developments in British history over the last 140 years. Analyzing the changing nature of British society and Britain's role on the world stage, Malcolm Pearce and Geoffrey Stewart also outline the growth of democracy and the growth in the power of the state against a background of party politics. New coverage includes: domestic affairs from 1992 to 2001 John Major's Government the creation of 'New' Labour and the 'Third Way' Blair's first ministry developments in Northern Ireland from 1995 through the Easter Peace Deal into 2001 the 2001 General Election results and implications. Students of British politics and history will find this the perfect resource for their studies.
This major new reference work provides an authoritative and wide-ranging guide to archive sources now becoming available for British political history since 1945. With a user-friendly layout, the book presents a comprehensive range of 1,500 personal papers from leading statesmen, backbench politicians, writers, campaigners, diplomats and generals which cover the key aspects of British history since of the end of the Second World War. Compiled by an experienced archivist, this comprehensive, easy-to-use and authoritative guide is an invaluable resource for researchers of modern British history.
During the 1960s - in the midst of its retreat from empire - the British government had to grapple with complex political and military problems in order to find a strategic defence policy that was both credible and affordable. Addressing what was perhaps the most contentious issue within those debates, this book charts the arguments that raged between supporters of a land based air power strategy, and those who favoured aircraft carriers. Drawing upon a wealth of previously classified documents, the book reveals how the Admiralty and Air Ministry became interlocked in a bitter political struggle over which of their military strategies could best meet Britain's future foreign policy challenges. Whilst the broad story of this inter-service rivalry is well known - the Air Force's proposal for a series of island based airfields, and the Navy championing of a small number of expensive but mobile aircraft carriers - the complexity and previous lack of archival sources means that it has, until now, only ever been partially researched and understood. Former studies have largely focused on the cancellation of the CVA-01 carrier programme, and offered little depth as regards the Royal Air Force perspectives. Given that this was a two-Service rivalry, which greatly influenced many aspects of British foreign and defence policy decisions of the period, this book presents an important and balanced overview of the complex issues involved. Through this historical study of the British debate about maritime air power and strategic alternatives in the 1960s, the detailed arguments used for and against both alternatives demonstrate clear relevance to both historical and contemporary conceptual debates on carrier forces and land-based air power. Both from military strategy and inter-service relationship perspectives, contemporary Britain and many other nations with maritime forces may learn much from this historical case.
Tackling broad themes and offering a fresh view of British history, this book sets politics within the wider cultural, economic and social contexts. It is a thought-provoking text which bridges the gap between A-level and higher education.
Britain in the Twentieth Century is a new approach to teaching and learning twentieth century British history at A level. It meets the needs of teachers and students studying for today's revised AS and A2 exams. In a unique style, Britain in the Twentieth Century focuses on the key topics within the period. Each topic is then comprehensively explored to provide background, essay writing advice and examples, source work and historical skills. From 1900 to the new millennium, the key topics featured include: * Britain in a new century, 1900-1914 * the First World War and its impact * inter-war domestic problems * British foreign policy, 1919-1939 * Britain and the Second World War * social and economic change, 1945-1979.
International Academic Conference on Teaching, Learning and E-learning in Budapest, Hungary 2017 (IAC-TLEl 2017), Friday - Saturday, April 14 - 15, 2017
The rise of religious fundamentalism in different parts of the world in recent years and its association with terrorism has led to renewed interest in the nature of religion and its compatibility with Western institutions. Much of the focus of this new interest has contrasted religion and science as systems of knowledge. This book also emphasizes the difference between religion and science as means for understanding causal relationships, but it focuses much more heavily on the challenge religious extremism poses for liberal democratic institutions. The treatment contains a discussion of human psychology, describes the salient characteristics of all religions, and contrasts religion and science as systems of thought. Historical sketches are used to establish a link between modernity and the use of the human capacity for reasoning to advance human welfare. The book describes the conditions under which democratic institutions can advance human welfare, and the nature of constitutional rights as protectors of individual freedoms. Extremist religions are shown to pose a threat to liberal democracy, a threat that has implications for immigration and education policies and the definition of citizenship.
As one of the pioneers and leading advocates of neoliberalism, Britain, and in particular England, has radically transformed its higher education system in recent decades. What was once a public good has turned into a market in which universities are required to perform like businesses, with students being increasingly referred to as customers. The Idea of Higher Education and the Student investigates precisely this relation between the changing function of higher education and how we see the student. But instead of offering yet another critique of neoliberalism and marketisation, it widens the view beyond the present.
The Transactions of the Royal Historical Society publish an annual collection of major articles representing some of the best historical research by some of the world's most distinguished historians. The volume includes the following articles: Potential Address: Britain and Globalisation since 1850: I. Creating a Global Order, 1850-1914; Land, Freedom and the Making of the Medieval West; The Origins of the English Hospital (The Alexander Prize Essay); Trust and Distrust: A Suitable Theme for Historians?; Witchcraft and the Western Imagination; Africa and the Birth of the Modern World; The Break-Up of Britain? Scotland and the End of the Empire (The Prothero Lecture); Report of Council for 2005-2006.
The exploits of the British Army's elite 22nd Special Air Service Regiment - the regiment of the SAS that forms part of the Regular army - are shrouded in mystery and myths abound about its members. But what is the truth behind the public facade of clinical professionalism? How has such a small regiment attracted so many weighty legends? And what is the purpose of the SAS in the 21st century? "Special Force" provides an original and unusually critical overview of the activities of the SAS from the Malayan Emergency of 1950 to the present day. In the context of a detailed and often controversial analysis of the post-war activities of the Regiment, MacKenzie establishes that the Regiment's almost legendary professional competence is often not backed up by reality. Far from being part of a structured deployment of strategic military assets, MacKenzie argues that the use of the SAS in recent years has been primarily driven by the 'entrepreneurial' actions of a few SAS commanding officers. "Special Force" not only offers a revelatory history of the SAS in the modern period, it is also a disturbing expose of the truth behind the myth. It will be essential reading for anyone with an interest in the British military - past, present and future.
