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The Verdict of Peace: Britain Between Her Yesterday & the Future
With The Verdict of Peace Correlli Barnett brings to a majestic finale his acclaimed Pride and Fall quartet, tracing Britain's decline from world power to victim of the 'British disease'.
Challengingly original in concept, The Verdict of Peace describes how, between the outbreak of the Korean war in 1950 and the Suez debacle in 1956, Britain threw away her last opportunity to reinvent herself as an industrial nation state before old rivals such as Germany and Japan finally recovered from wartime defeat. It describes how Britain still suffered, ten years after the Second World War, from old-fashioned industries, hidebound management, trade union blocking of technical change and self-destructive strikes. It analyses Britain's ominous failure to win market domination in new technologies such as aeronautics, business systems and computers.
Challengingly original in concept, The Verdict of Peace describes how, between the outbreak of the Korean war in 1950 and the Suez debacle in 1956, Britain threw away her last opportunity to reinvent herself as an industrial nation state before old rivals such as Germany and Japan finally recovered from wartime defeat. It describes how Britain still suffered, ten years after the Second World War, from old-fashioned industries, hidebound management, trade union blocking of technical change and self-destructive strikes. It analyses Britain's ominous failure to win market domination in new technologies such as aeronautics, business systems and computers.
- GenresHistory
713 pages, Hardcover
First published September 20, 2001
About the author
Correlli Barnett
43 books21 followersA freelance historian and writer, Correlli Barnett was educated at Trinity school and Exeter College, Oxford, where he took a degree in modern history. After national service in the Intelligence Corps from 1945 to 1948, Barnett worked for the North Thames Gas Board until 1957, then in public relations until 1963. He was historical consultant and part author of the BBC series 'The Great War' and won the 1964 Screen Writers' Guild Award for best British television documentary script.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 2, 2015
A wonderful book! A cross between political drama and farce. With "The Verdict of Peace" Corelli Barnett brings to a close his Pride and Fall quartet, which traces the decline of Great Britain's from a world power to a second rate nation trying, "to punch above its weight"
The Verdict of Peace describes how, between the outbreak of the Korean war in 1950 and the Suez crisis in 1956, Britain lost the opportunity to reinvent herself as an industrial nation state. Instead she stood by as her old rivals, Germany and Japan recovered from wartime defeat, and stole her markets.
It goes on to describe the "British Disease", how Britain suffered, ten years after the Second World War, from old-fashioned industries, hidebound management, militant trade unions which combined blocked technical change with bumbling ineffectiveness, appeasement and crippling, self-destructive strikes.
It includes an insightful analysis of Britain's failure to win market domination in new technologies such as aeronautics, business systems and computers, despite leading in the field, due to the parochial outlook, and lack of vision of its leaders in government and industry.
The analysis is as relevant today as it was in 1956 - has anything really changed?
The Verdict of Peace describes how, between the outbreak of the Korean war in 1950 and the Suez crisis in 1956, Britain lost the opportunity to reinvent herself as an industrial nation state. Instead she stood by as her old rivals, Germany and Japan recovered from wartime defeat, and stole her markets.
It goes on to describe the "British Disease", how Britain suffered, ten years after the Second World War, from old-fashioned industries, hidebound management, militant trade unions which combined blocked technical change with bumbling ineffectiveness, appeasement and crippling, self-destructive strikes.
It includes an insightful analysis of Britain's failure to win market domination in new technologies such as aeronautics, business systems and computers, despite leading in the field, due to the parochial outlook, and lack of vision of its leaders in government and industry.
The analysis is as relevant today as it was in 1956 - has anything really changed?
Displaying 1 of 1 review