The Thirties: An Intimate History by Juliet Gardiner

Description

As 'Wartime' did for the 1940s, this book will grasp the broad spectrum of events in the 1930s in the words of contemporary witnesses drawn from metropolitan and provincial letters and diaries, newspapers, periodicals, books and the range of rich material available in the British Library. J.B. Priestley famously described the 'three Englands' he saw in the 1930s: Old England, nineteenth-century England and the new, post-war England. Thirties Britain was, indeed, a land of contrasts, at once show more a nation rendered hopeless by the Depression, unemployment and international tensions, yet also a place of complacent suburban home-owners with a baby Austin in every garage. Now Juliet Gardiner, acclaimed author of the award-winning Wartime, provides a fresh perspective on that restless, uncertain, ambitious decade, bringing the complex experience of thirties Britain alive through newspapers, magazines, memoirs, letters and diaries. Gardiner captures the essence of a people part-mesmerised by 'modernism' in architecture, art and the proliferation of 'dream palaces', by the cult of fitness and fresh air, the obsession with speed, the growth and regimentation of leisure, the democratisation of the countryside, the celebration of elegance, glamour and sensation. Yet, at the same time, this was a nation imbued with a pervasive awareness of loss - of Britain's influence in the world, of accepted political, social and cultural signposts, and finally of peace itself. show less

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MacDad 772 reviews

This is a fantastic survey of a controversial decade in British history. A longtime historian and writer, Juliet Gardiner provides a readable and informative overview of the 1930s, using specific events to open up a broader examination that takes in the politics, society, and culture of the times. In doing so, she presents the traditional interpretation of a working-class population suffering through the Depression, while at the same time illustrating the gains being made by a growing middle-class consumer society. Combining both provides for a remarkably holistic view of the times, one that both entertains with anecdotes while informing with an impressive amount of detail. For anyone seeking to learn more about the 1930s in British show more history, this is an excellent place to begin. show less

Mar 27, 2020