Classes and Cultures England 1918-1951 [Hardcover]

In this fascinating study, Ross McKibbin exposes the fundamental structures and belief systems which underpinned English society in the first half of the twentieth century.

1. The Upper Class: Honour and Wealth
2. The Middle Class (I)
3. The Middle Class (II)
4. The Working Class (I)
5. The Working Class (II)
6. Education and Mobility
7. Religion and Belief
8. Sexuality and Morality
9. The Sporting Life
10. Music for the People
11. The Cinema and the English
12. Listening In
13. The Community of Language
14. Conclusion
Bibliography
Index

[A] brilliantly written, deeply subtle critique of social classes and cultural attitudes from the Armistice to the Festival of Britain...[McKibbin] has deconstructed the essence of a great people, with skill and an Australian's wry detachment. --The Guardian

[A] work of major importance that will have to be taken seriously by anyone concerned with the role of class in twentieth-century England. --American Historical Review

[T]his very original analysis of English society during a handful of decades in the first half of the twentieth century merits attention precisely because it suggests how much can be accomplished if an effort is made to combine a consideration of changes in social class structure with cultural continuities and transformations...McKibbin's genius resides in his capacity to dwell on significant detail, to provide statistical data of every kind, at the same time offering provocative insights on the information he has garnered through a close study of many kinds of evidence. --Albion

The detail of this book is marvelous. --British Politics Group Newsletter

McKibbin's work will last... --Susan Pedersen,London Review of Books

Ross McKibbinis Fellow and Tutor in Modern History at St John's College, Oxford.