The Deluge: British Society and the First World War

by Arthur Marwick

The Deluge describes life on the home front, analysing the social changes that made Britain of the 1920s a different place from the Britain that went to war in 1914.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, British Literature, World War I

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1964

About the author

Arthur John Brereton Marwick (1936-2006) was a Scottish social historian, who served for many years as Professor of History at the Open University. His research interests lay primarily in the history of Britain in the twentieth century, and the relationship between war and social change.

Reviews

[Liam]

"A special War Aims Committee, on which Asquith served along with the man who had displaced him, was formed to combat the growth of pacifist sentiment; almost at the same time the most famous propaganda achievement of the whole war was launched, the story that the Germans were converting the bodies of dead soldiers into lubricating oils, pig-food, and manure. ... It made a great impression at the time, and it left its odour behind it: when tales first came through early in the Second World War of Hitler's gas chambers, Fleet Street would not print them, saying it wanted no more corpse-conversion stories." (212-3)

[Colin]

This is a justly celebrated account of Britain during the First World War. Although over fifty years old, its writing is fresh and engaging; its judgments shrewd; and it packs in a lot of information in a relatively short analysis.

[Kate]

This was on Shirley Mullen's recommended reading list under the category of "history." (She actually listed "After the Deluge," but I couldn't find that. Did he write another book with "deluge" in the title?

[Paul Holloway]

The deluge; British society and the First World War by Arthur Marwick (1965)

[Rachel]

finally done!! A heavy read but very informative and really interesting. A good overview of the UK during and after the great war.