| Abstract |
The United Kingdom has been at the heart of global history for centuries - as a conqueror, an engine of international trade, and a symbol of modernity. It was the first industrial nation, the centre of the world's biggest empire, and the home of an enduring and influential parliamentary democracy. Since 1945, the UK has faced unprecedented challenges as it came to terms with the loss of great power status, the surrender of its colonial territories, the decline of its staple industries, and growing pressures threatening to tear apart the union holding together England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. In this book, Adrian Bingham guides readers through the key developments in British post-war history to reveal how the nation was shaped by ongoing tensions about the legacies and lessons of the past. |
