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Life in Post-War Britain (ePub)

“Toils and Efforts Ahead”

Military > Post-WWII Warfare P&S History > British History P&S History > Social History

By Anton Rippon, Nicola Rippon
Imprint: Pen & Sword History
File Size: 14.7 MB (.epub)
Pages: 224
ISBN: 9781399064774
Published: 21st June 2023

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On New Year’s Day 1946, the people of Britain desperately wanted to look forward to a new and better life. The Second World War had ended four months earlier with the formal surrender of Imperial Japan. The war in Europe had been over for eight months. But, upon announcing to Parliament the German surrender, Winston Churchill had told the nation: “Let us not forget the toils and efforts that lie ahead.”

In 1946, Clement Attlee, leader of the newly elected Labour Government, underlined Churchill’s words, warning the nation that victory over Nazi Germany and Japan had heralded not a future of plenty – but one of greater austerity. The huge debt left by the war had crippled the British economy.

Those who fought in the Great War had been promised a land fit for heroes. That had not happened. After another world war, people now expected a better life than the poverty and hardship that had characterised much of the 1920s and 1930s, and Attlee pledged to end society’s five “Giant Evils” – squalor, ignorance, want, idleness, and disease – and to provide for the people “from the cradle to the grave”. It was going to be far from easy.

Life in Post-War Britain: "Toils and Efforts Ahead" tells what it was like to live in Britain as the nation battled to recover while still facing many hardships, including food rationing that, ironically, was to become more severe than that in wartime.

This was a unique time in British history and Life in Post-War Britain: “Toils and Efforts Ahead” captures the mood of the nation, examining all the great events of the post-war years and the effect that they had on the everyday life of the people who had won a war but who now faced an uncertain peace both at home and abroad.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating look at life in post war Britain. An in depth look at the lives of the people recovering from the war and a personal look at their daily lives.

NetGalley, Abby Siverman

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The book covers 7 years in post war Britain. The period from 1946 to 1953 seems very short but it's full of promising events including the coronation of Elizabeth II. A must read for all enthusiast of history of England.

NetGalley, Meg Gajda

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This book is packed full of information about life in England. Great for research or just those wanting to learn more about this time.

NetGalley, Aubrey Kerr

I'm always interested in reading social history book and this one was good as it relies on papers. The timeframe is between the end of WWII and the coronation of Elizabeth II
A good read recommended

NetGalley, Anna Maria Giacomasso

This covers a wide variety of topics on British life between 1946 to Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953. Political as well as social aspects of this era were equally covered.

NetGalley, Heather Moll

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

If you want to understand what the 1940s were like and how Government policy really impacted everyday life, this is an excellent place to start.

NetGalley, Colin Edwards

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

As a North American with roots in England, and whose grandfather fought in WWII but never spoke of his service with his family, I really appreciated and enjoyed learning about the personal side of life in post-war Britain. Too many history books gloss over this entirely or don’t give enough word space for better comprehension on the reader’s part.

Life in Post-War Britain is very well researched and presented, this one is fascinating and more engaging than many history books I’ve read.

NetGalley, Michelle Smith

Excellent look at the after effects of a war on the average person and their daily life. History books often focus on the war itself, and then move on to the next exciting topic. It's important however, to always analyze the effects that war has on a population. 4/5 stars.

NetGalley, Spencer Wright

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This fascinating book gives a true insight into life in post-war Britain. The 24 chapters cover diverse topics that include education, housing, nationalisation, immigration and racial tensions, the dawn of the NHS and the welfare state, crime, entertainment, sport. The book ends with the coronation of Elizabeth II.
The book is well-researched and draws on a wide range of newspapers. The index with page references make it easy to navigate through the book.
This is a book that has something for everyone.. It is so well-written that it can be read from cover-to-cover or dipped into at will.
Highly recommended for historians and general readers with an interest in the post-war period.

NetGalley, Shirley Sinha

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely fascinating. My parents grew up in post-war Britain and this book explains so much about why they were the way they were. Political, social and economic observations give powerful context and the authors have shone a light on inter generational impacts of war.

NetGalley, Louise Gray
 Anton Rippon

About Anton Rippon

ANTON RIPPON is an award-winning newspaper columnist, journalist and author of over 30 sports books including Gas Masks for Goalposts: Football in Britain During the Second World War and Hitler’s Olympics: The Story of the 1936 Nazi Games. A former Sunday Telegraph football writer, his sports features appeared in The Times, The Independent, The Guardian, and FourFourTwo magazine. Rippon was named Newspaper Columnist of the Year in the 2017 Midlands Media Awards.


About Nicola Rippon

NICOLA RIPPON is an author and newspaper and magazine feature writer. Her book The Plot to Kill Lloyd George: Alice Wheeldon and the Peartree Conspiracy for Pen & Sword was described as ‘a fascinating story, well-researched and expertly told’. She has appeared on a number of BBC television programmes as an expert interviewee.

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