The Making of Modern Britain: From Queen Victoria to Ve Day

by Andrew Marr

A fascinating portrait of life in Britain during the first half of the 20th century as the country recovered from the grand wreckage of the British EmpireBeyond trenches, flappers, and Spitfires, this is a story of strange cults and economic madness, of revolutionaries and heroic inventors, sexual experiments, and raucous stage heroines. Between the death of Queen Victoria and the end of World War II, Great Britain was shaken by war and peace. The two wars were the worst they had ever known and the episodes of peace among the most turbulent and surprising. As the political forum moved from Edwardian smoking rooms to an increasingly democratic Westminster, the people of Britain experimented with extreme ideas as they struggled to answer the question How should we live? Socialism? Fascism? Feminism? Meanwhile, fads such as eugenics, vegetarianism, and nudism were gripping the nation, while the popularity of the music hall soared. It was also a time that witnessed the birth of the media as it is known it today and the beginnings of the welfare state. From organic food to drugs, nightclubs and celebrities to package holidays, crooked bankers to sleazy politicians, the echoes of today's Britain ring from almost every page.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, Historical, British Literature, Audiobook, War

451 pages, Paperback

First published May 17, 2007

About the author

Andrew Marr is a Scottish journalist. He is a graduate of Cambridge University and has had a long career in political journalism, working for the Scotsman, The Independent, The Economist, the Express and the Observer. From 2000 to 2005 he was the BBC's Political Editor. His broadcasting includes series on contemporary thinkers for BBC 2 and Radio 4, political documentaries for Channel 4 and BBC Panorama, and Radio 4's Start The Week'.

Reviews

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully gripping read - in fact it got better and better the more I read, and towards the end I was galloping along, hooked in with fascination and pleasure.

My understanding of this period was fairly patchy, and I loved the way the book brought everything together for me. Marr is a wonderful writer, and the people he writes about just light up under his pen. Occasionally I would need a bit more elaboration than was given in the book, but this was easily remedied with Wikipedia. The contrast between Wikipedia and this book though was vast. Wikipedia whilst being - as always - a great resource, lacked all the wit and energy and excitement of Marr's writing. I also learnt tons of things I didn't know from this book....and in several instances it has made me want to find out more - I now want to get books on Joseph Rowntree, Lloyd George, and the amazing Lord Northcliffe.

I initially got this book from the library, and today I bought my own copy. It's definitely one I want to keep.

[Stefan Mitev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Със смъртта на кралица Виктория през 1901 г. Британската империя навлиза в своята Едуардинска епоха. Периодиът се характеризира с бурен научен и индустриален прогрес и най-вече с мир. Новият крал Едуард VII подобрява отношенията с Франция и двете страни създават съюз, известен като Антанта, с огромни последици за бъдещето на Европа. Избухването на Първата световна война слага край на романтичните представи за цивилизация. Очакванията за бърз успешен край до Коледа се оказват наивни илюзии, потопени в калта на окопите. Политиката на Британската империя след края на Голямата война е насочена към запазване на баланса и съхраняване на колониите, които все по-често търсят независимост.

"Създаването на модерна Британия" проследява политическите, обществените и социалните промени през първата половина на двадесети век. Авторът е учудващо безпристрастен, като свободно говори за срамни и премълчвани събития и процеси - антисемитизъм и расизъм в британското общество, загърбване на демократичните ценности и установяване на "мека" диктатура по време на Втората световна война с цел повишено индустриалното производство, бомбардировки на мирно население, напълно излишното разрушаване на Дрезден през февруари 1945 г., когато всичко вече е било решено, неочакваните загуби при битките за Крит, Тобрук и най-вече Сингапур.

Именно такава всеобхватна книга исках да съществува и за историята на България през XX век. Препоръчайте ми, ако знаете за подобна.

[Nick Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clearly a very well-researched attempt to catalogue and make sense of the period of UK history between the death of Queen Victoria and the end of World War Two, this was jam-packed full of factual content about the events and people of that time - both in terms of those in power and also those in the general public. It was intelligently written and certainly very good value for money (whether bought full price, or cheaply second hand like I did).

However, maybe because of Marr's desire to encompass such a wide range of events over almost half a century of history, and to do so with depth and description, for me it ended up feeling a bit dense and complicated. Though the author attempts to tie up how this period 'made' Modern Britain, too often throughout the book I felt slightly adrift and unconnected to previous sections. Maybe a book to be dipped in to, as opposed to read through, I was left with the sense that I'd been on an intense and interesting course, but had only taken half of it in.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andrew Marr's The Making Of Modern Britain

Insightful, awakening view of a pivotal time in British history. Rather than mundane facts and figures, Andrew Marr brings these turbulent times to life in a brilliant read. A must- read for anyone who has even the slightest of an interest in British History. The era of the 20's and 30's is particularly colourful in the book, with an excellent conclusion. Excellent read.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Edwardian stuff is most interesting, followed by the 20s and 30s. Did you know that William IV wanted Victoria to be crowned Queen Elizabeth II? Apparently, "the Edwardians had richer internal lives than most of us today", which seems an odd thing for an historian to say. And "Edwardian artists drew far better than artists are able to now". Really?

Churchill is just everywhere...almost on every page. Is this right?

I didn’t know that “When Hitler finally killed himself in his bunker, the Dublin government presented its condolences via the German Embassy”. Yikes.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parts of this book were very interesting, the kind of book one should use for history at school.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, more than I expected to. Marr is an excellent writer, very engaging and readable without being condescending, which isn't always the easiest balance to achieve in writing history.

This isn't a comprehensive history of the fifty-odd years between the death of Queen Victoria and the end of the Second World War, nor does it pretend to be. It's more a case of charting just how much Britain changed in such a short span, less than one lifetime, and how much of that change and that process reverberates with us still. Britain went from being an imperial power with an Empire, the most powerful nation on earth, to a nation bankrupted by war, shedding its empire and moving into a new role as a democracy, indebted to and to a large extent subservient to one of its old colonies.

As I said, this isn't a comprehensive history; it's more of a thematic one, looking at issues such as culture, literacy, the attitudes towards class, social mobility, shopping and commercial culture. But it's well-worth reading, if only because it sheds so much light on how we became the country we are today.

[Mary Tozer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this pretty dense, but a fabulous overview of the period. It's a real highlight reel. And we get to zoom in and enjoy a variety of anecdotes and personal stories that Marr has collected from his reading. It's very down and dirty at times, in a good way. The early 20th century was an amazing period, with constant lovely, or sad, reminders that humans never really change and seldom learn.

Listening to this as an audiobook did mean that I got to tune out during the boring bits (Lloyd George.. who cares?) and enjoy the more interesting bits (Rowntree's poverty surveys, British silent cinema, music hall culture, WWII evacuation, the Mitfords (lol), etc) although his endless references to Churchill did become a bit relentless. He is truly a fascinating character, but I can see why lots of people would find this annoying.

Overall quite thorough and entertaining. I very much miss this now that it's over.

[Sean O'Hara · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author literally summarizes other history books. No original research, and not even any synthesis or analysis. He just tells you about the suffragette movement, then notes, "I've based this section on X by Y." If you have absolutely no knowledge of the era, this might be a good point of entry, but otherwise skip it.

[Fiona Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative with a dry wit. Ask me anything about the Edwardians and I can tell you now

[Nuno · Rating 3 out of 5]

My motivation to read this was high: I live in the UK but don't know much about its history. Being a two-volume set which accompanies a BBC series (which I have not watched but plan to), this first book explores the events that take place roughly in the first half of the 20th century, and the changes that Britain went through because of them. I wasn't familiar with the author, who is in fact a well known political commentator. It shouldn't then surprise that politics occupies a fair amount of the text. My difficulty was that it's assumed the reader is already at least aware of the names and events, probably having been brought up in the UK. That not being my case there were occasions when I had to use Google to learn more, or just didn't understand some of it. I did get a good idea of (what should be) the major happenings that shaped British life in that time and learned a significant amount, so it was time well spent. I will however be reading something completely different before moving on to volume 2...

[Bodil · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book quite hard going. There are 450 pages with rather small print, but my main problem was that I know to little about British (political) history. Many times, I had difficulties in following his narrative and argument, although some help from Google made it a bit easier. However, I understand that he writes for British readers, so it is of course my own fault. Still, I think that he tries to cover too much. Maybe it would have been possible to leave out some of the politics and instead include a bit more of “other worlds”? And I am ashamed to admit, but towards the end, I was a bit fed up with Churchill!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only thing I could fault this on the whole very entertaining and readable history of modern Britain on was that at times it read more as a biography of Churchill than what it actually was. One cannot deny that Churchill did indeed have a massive role in the period, but some of the lesser important periods of his life were covered in such detail that I wondered if nothing else could have been going on the same time that would have made for a widened study.

[Reza Amiri Praramadhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a prequel which published as a sequel, I read this book first anyway before reading “A History of Modern Britain”. The title was rather misleading for the first time, with statement that the book will cover the time of Queen Victoria, yet in truth, only started with her death. In my opinion, Britain history from Victoria’s death up to the beginning of World War II was quite boring. However, my opinion changed after reading this book. 1901 to 1939 consisted of some interesting figures and events, with the British Empire from the times of Joseph Chamberlain, Arthur Balfour, Herbert Asquith, David Lloyd-George, Stanley Baldwin, up to Neville Chamberlain and Winston Churchill got caught up in tide of change in many aspects of society. I found it rather hard to focus on one thing in this book, with broad subjects discussed in this book. But after all, I am quite amazed, and rather saddened, with how profound the british society changed during the two wars, with things such as feminism, socialism, communism, and fascism loomed in the air, the class distinction slowly dying and how the british managed to fend off german invasion yet unable to stop the american one.

[Michael Rollins · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a lot to enjoy about this book. Marr's writing style is easy to absorb and engaging, there was a number of interesting facts which were surprising and amusing.
The first half, covering the Edwardian period through to the early between Wars years was very good, and very interesting. I did find the second half to be too focus on WWII itself, rather than the impact it had on British life and the ways in which it shaped Britian as it stands today.
Also way too much chat about Churchill, like I get he's a big deal, but he was mentioned throughout the book fairly constantly.

[Thorunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fróðleg og skemmtileg lesning, þó þetta sé kannski ekki beinlínis sagnfræðileg bók heldur skoðun höfundar á sögunni.
Það er margt þarna sem maður vissi ekki um og atburðir eru settir í samhengi. Fyrir utan stjórnmálin í Bretlandi fræðist maður um aðbúnað fólksins, skemmtanir, matarræði og húsnæði. Verkföll, matarskortur og slæmur aðbúnaður virðist hafa verið eðlilegt ástand.
Að sjálfsögðu er fjallað um báðar heimsstyrjaldirnar, en út frá fólkinu í Bretlandi, ekki framvindu styrjaldanna. Fjallað er ítarlega um súffragetturnar og um páskauppreisnina á Írlandi og sjálfstæðisbaráttuna þar. Líka er talað um uppgang fasismans og baráttuna gegn honum, friðarhreyfinguna og hernaðaruppbygginguna.

[Harry Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed it until the last part about Jack Sanders wearing long socks with trainers!

[Aurélien Parlouer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a thorough study of a short historical period!
Those 45 years that killed the British Empire and shaped modern Britain were well worth a book of this quality. All the sub-stories are deeply studied and perfectly linked to the global picture for an exciting result.

[G.J. Griffiths · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an intriguing and compulsive read. I feared at first that it would be a bit stuffy and too political but the more I read the more fascinating it became. Marr’s style was conversational and witty at times with lots of personal information. His ‘revelation’ of such things became something more to look forward to as you read more of the book.
The sections in the book about David Lloyd-George, Neville Chamberlain and Sir Winston Churchill, for example, were truly gripping. And the brief mention about the lives of the Mitford sisters was surprising, even charming to some extent, though shocking to some readers no doubt. Marr’s account about the stormy times around World War 1 and the lively 1920s/30s is brought to life in such a way that it defeats completely the rather dry and staid way you might find it in your usual history book.
The changes in British culture and attitudes brought about due to the loss of its Empire were also handled well in the expert hand of this skilful writer. Class distinction, feminism and communism etc. were all changes to British society the author detailed well. Highly recommended to anyone who thinks they hate history. This book encourages one to find out more!

[Poppy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book so much, so funny!

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing’s sweeter than a great work of historical scholarship about a country that you’re currently visiting. I picked up Marr’s book in the UK – just released in trade paperback – just a few short weeks ago as I finished the book I took with me when I left the US. Upon the recommendation by a London couple who I met over breakfast at my B&B in Conwy, I hit up the closest Waterstone’s store in the Bloomsbury’s neighborhood where I was staying once I got to London, and decided upon Marr’s book as my next read to finish me out on my travels. But you know what? It was so good, I actually finished before I even left. (And had to go back to Waterstone’s for more. I know: Poor me.)

The first half of his book is probably the strangest to read, particularly for an American, as the political and cultural references of pre-WWII Britain were often unknown by me. The huge class stratification, the shocking levels of poverty across the nation, and the anti-London/English regionalism all play important roles in how fractured and tenuous the dying Empire functioned. (Or dysfunctioned, as the case may be.) It’s a near miracle – or rather a testament to the English system of laws – that the UK didn’t fall into fascism or communism as the Continental countries so easily did.

But by the second half when Marr examines the inter-war era between the World Wars, the going gets better. And reads much more quickly. (Probably because of my greater familiarity with this time period.)

"The British of the inter-war years were introduced to Kellogg’s cornflakes and Mars Bars, observed the spread of Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer and Dewhurst the butchers. They were (mostly) united for the first time by a national electricity grid, so that the country became bright at night. This was when the British became a people obsessed with home ownership and mortgages. Despite wonderful writers, a culture based on moving pictures in cinemas began to push books aside At home, pre-television, it was the great radio age. The British began to travel in large numbers for holidays at the coast in the first Butlin’s camps, and some went abroad too. They crammed their narrow roads with cars, became addicted to crime thrillers, began to live in sprawling suburbs and sucked up American culture."

Of course, this was simply the calm before the coming storm. Or the German blitz that would devastate many British cities; only to mobilize an entire nation – liberals, progressive, and conservatives alike against the encroaching Nazi war machine.

Marr also gives plenty of air-time to the BBC, as it came into prominent during this era, particularly as it became the medium Chruchill used to speak to the nation.

"The BBC would be wholly dominant, part of the establishment though not part of government. It would be rather dull, highly respectable, cultured but not excessively so. And intensely centralist – rather like Britain itself."

A huge contrast between the commercial networks like FOX and MSNBC here in the States a half century later.

If there was anything in this second half of Marr’s book that took me completely by surprise, it was learning about the bizarre alliances – however slight and tacit – that played themselves out in the UK during WWII. That is, there were some who sided with Hitler – even if this was relatively marginal at best.

"In the opening year of the war Coventry had been bombed – to start with not by the Luftwaffe but by the IRA, who killed five people in a shopping centre. That year there were other terrorist attacks by the IRA in London, Blackpool, and Liverpool. As in the First World War, German agents were active in Ireland and in 1941 four divisions in his bunker, the Dublin government presented its condolences via the German embassy."

Most definitely bizarre, all that.

For a great read about Britain before and during the two World Wars, Marr’s The Making of Great Britain is a phenomenally engrossing read that’s hard to put down.

[Martin Samuels · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent and wide-ranging study of this period, revealing once again the strengths of Andrew Marr's journalistic training. The four chapters cover the period from the death of Victoria up to the outbreak of the Great War, the War itself, the Interwar Period, and the Second World War. While Marr devotes significant space to political issues, he livens the narrative by his entertaining anecdotes about the politicians, and leaves much space for examination of wider social matters. In the process, he highlights just how troubled and divided a country this was in the run up to 1914 - an argument can be made that the outbreak of war was the vital outside event that prevent a major internal social collapse and potential civil war. What also emerges is a sense that the country had exhausted its energy and ability by the end of the Nineteenth Century and was rapidly being overtaken by other countries, such as the USA and Germany, more able to adapt to the changing nature of Twentieth Century economic and political reality. Marr's analysis of 1939-1945 underlines how, despite a level of government control and national mobilisation unmatched by any other country, Britain was still unable to make a decisive military contribution to victory. While clearly aimed at the general reader, this book ought to be required reading for all those who still believe Britain should seek to take an independent leading role in world affairs.

[S.P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the death of queen Victoria and the Edwardian age of toffs to Victory in Europe day and the profoundly changed Britain, Andrew Marr charts the politics and some of the trends that defined the age and set the country on the road it is today.

Andrew Marr is a (maybe slightly biased) journalist, not a historian, and unlike his book of the later period, I imagine finding the historical facts was much more difficult (after all, everything after 1945 was on TV!). There is a lot in this book, some of which is lightly covered, and other bits seem a little off. That said it is, as is The History of Modern Britain well paced and informative.

Marr concentrates on British issues, maybe as expected, barely mentioning anything not directly related to the political in the UK. This focus is helpful in exploring Britishness, but not so much for a historical perspective.

However as a study of British politics (Marr's bread and butter) it is very good, and I think, as rare as such an independent work is, important in itself as a documented perspective from outside the clique of memoirs and politicians with their own axes to grind.

[Mydoghasnonose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this. Deals with the period 1900 - 1945. Explains how democracy really started in Britain, since the Commons was largely a bunch of land owning aristocrats. Formation of the Unions and Labour.
Delves into the political aspects of WI and WII.
Marr chunks the book into a series of what feels like short stories, extended snippets, which allows us to jump around the country and the time. It works really well.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very easy to read history of how Britain and the British have ended up where they are. It is not in depth or especially detailed but it is a great overview and a good jumping off point for finding areas that might interest you and then want to look into more. The writing style is easy to read, clear and concise and, for those familiar with Andrew Marr as a TV presenter (and who may have seen the show of the same name) matches his on screen style. Well worth a read.

[Martin Haynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contains an interesting review of the political landscape of Britain in the 1930s, I was well aware of Mosley's blackshirts but had never heard of the green shirts or the Social Dividend movement. Also, an interesting overview of David Lloyd George's role in the development of the modern political landscape is there and if you think that our politicians are dodgy, well, it's nothing new. For anyone interested in how we got where we are, I recommend this book.

[Titus Hjelm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid if not massively inspired narrative. Tries to include history from below, but ends up being mostly about Churchill. Also tries to tread the middle road politically and succeeds most of the time. The mask of neutrality slips only in odd comments about the 21st century, which reveal someone who probably rejoiced at Blair's decision to go to war against those evil Muslims ('fundamentalists' all, apparently).

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the general style of this, it had some great details about the development of Britain during this time, but it did get quite dry in places - which I suppose is inevitable. It was just a bit disappointing, as the vast majority of this is engaging and informative.

[Ipswichblade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent book from Andrew Marr. As good as A History of Modern Britain. Well written and very informative. As good as the TV programme but without Andrew doing his accents!!

[Kieran]

started 1/3/2010