Britain Explained

Britain Explained PDF Author: Martin Upham
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780993454974
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
Explains the complexities of British identity as expressed in politics, education, the economy, law, culture, sport, religion and social attitudes. For international and UK students taking courses covering British society and culture and the general reader wishing to understand a country divided by Brexit.The 2016 EU referendum underlined Britain's differences from its continental neighbours. But it also demonstrated how this 'united' kingdom is in many ways very disunited. England and Wales voted one way, Northern Ireland and Scotland the other; and within England the provinces voted against London. Such divisions are nothing new. Clashing interests and identities are expressed in every aspect of British history and contemporary life. Author Martin Upham spent many years explaining the complexities of British identity to Americans 'studying abroad' in London, where he was the director of AHA International (now GEO). This book is based on that experience. The result is a fascinating expedition that will entertain and educate not just students of British society and culture and those coming from abroad but also general readers concerned about the state of Britain − whether they are Brexiters or Remainers.Illustrated throughout.

Britain Explained

Britain Explained PDF Author: Martin Upham
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780993454974
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 352

Get Book Here

Book Description
Explains the complexities of British identity as expressed in politics, education, the economy, law, culture, sport, religion and social attitudes. For international and UK students taking courses covering British society and culture and the general reader wishing to understand a country divided by Brexit.The 2016 EU referendum underlined Britain's differences from its continental neighbours. But it also demonstrated how this 'united' kingdom is in many ways very disunited. England and Wales voted one way, Northern Ireland and Scotland the other; and within England the provinces voted against London. Such divisions are nothing new. Clashing interests and identities are expressed in every aspect of British history and contemporary life. Author Martin Upham spent many years explaining the complexities of British identity to Americans 'studying abroad' in London, where he was the director of AHA International (now GEO). This book is based on that experience. The result is a fascinating expedition that will entertain and educate not just students of British society and culture and those coming from abroad but also general readers concerned about the state of Britain − whether they are Brexiters or Remainers.Illustrated throughout.

Empireland

Empireland PDF Author: Sathnam Sanghera
Publisher: Pantheon
ISBN: 0593316681
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 385

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Book Description
A best-selling journalist’s illuminating tour through the hidden legacies and modern realities of British empire that exposes how much of the present-day United Kingdom is actually rooted in its colonial past. Empireland boldly and lucidly makes the case that in order to understand America, we must first understand British imperialism. "Empireland is brilliantly written, deeply researched and massively important. It’ll stay in your head for years.” —John Oliver, Emmy Award-winning host of "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" With a new introduction by the author and a foreword by Booker Prize-winner Marlon James A best-selling journalist’s illuminating tour through the hidden legacies and modern realities of British empire that exposes how much of the present-day United Kingdom is actually rooted in its colonial past. Empireland boldly and lucidly makes the case that in order to understand America, we must first understand British imperialism. Empire—whether British or otherwise—informs nearly everything we do. From common thought to our daily routines; from the foundations of social safety nets to the realities of racism; and from the distrust of public intellectuals to the exceptionalism that permeates immigration debates, the Brexit campaign and the global reckonings with controversial memorials, Empireland shows how the pernicious legacy of Western imperialism undergirds our everyday lives, yet remains shockingly obscured from view. In accessible, witty prose, award-winning journalist and best-selling author Sathnam Sanghera traces this legacy back to its source, exposing how—in both profound and innocuous ways—imperial domination has shaped the United Kingdom we know today. Sanghera connects the historical dots across continents and seas to show how the shadows of a colonial past still linger over modern-day Britain and how the world, in turn, was shaped by Britain’s looming hand. The implications, of course, extend to Britain’s most notorious former colony turned imperial power: the United States of America, which prides itself for its maverick soul and yet seems to have inherited all the ambition, brutality and exceptional thinking of its parent. With a foreword by Booker Prize–winner Marlon James, Empireland is a revelatory and lucid work of political history that offers a sobering appraisal of the past so we may move toward a more just future.

Revolt on the Right

Revolt on the Right PDF Author: Robert Ford
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317938550
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 337

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Book Description
Winner of the Political Book of the Year Award 2015 The UK Independence Party (UKIP) is the most significant new party in British politics for a generation. In recent years UKIP and their charismatic leader Nigel Farage have captivated British politics, media and voters. Yet both the party and the roots of its support remain poorly understood. Where has this political revolt come from? Who is supporting them, and why? How are UKIP attempting to win over voters? And how far can their insurgency against the main parties go? Drawing on a wealth of new data – from surveys of UKIP voters to extensive interviews with party insiders – in this book prominent political scientists Robert Ford and Matthew Goodwin put UKIP's revolt under the microscope and show how many conventional wisdoms about the party and the radical right are wrong. Along the way they provide unprecedented insight into this new revolt, and deliver some crucial messages for those with an interest in the state of British politics, the radical right in Europe and political behaviour more generally.

Britain Unwrapped

Britain Unwrapped PDF Author: Hilaire Barnett
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0141042362
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 814

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Book Description
Britain Unwrapped provides a wide-ranging discussion of the contemporary system of government. It takes apart the constitutional framework, the current system and the workings of government, Parliament and the legal system. The relationship between Britain and the EU, the domestic legal systems and the law of the EU are also covered. Written in a period that has witnessed extensive and on-going constitutional reform, the text discusses the major areas of reform and looks in detail at such key issues as the Human Rights Act, reform of the House of Lords, devolution and voting reform. Britain Unwrapped is succinct, readable and a key book both for general readers and students wishing to understand how Britain is really run.

The British Industrial Revolution in Global Perspective

The British Industrial Revolution in Global Perspective PDF Author: Robert C. Allen
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521868270
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 13

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Book Description
Why did the industrial revolution take place in 18th century Britain and not elsewhere in Europe or Asia? Robert Allen argues that the British industrial revolution was a successful response to the global economy of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Contemporary Britain

Contemporary Britain PDF Author: John McCormick
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350337110
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 249

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Book Description
The fallout from Brexit and Covid-19, ongoing political turmoil, economic decline and calls for a second Scottish independence referendum make for deeply uncertain times in contemporary Britain. What will the country look like in five years from now? Will it even exist in its present form? Introducing you to all aspects of British history, geography, society, politics, economy and culture, this book guides you through the country's enduring features and recent trends: -Growing racial, religious, national and cultural diversity -Demographic shifts, including the move from a welfare state to a stakeholder society -The altered balance of power among government institutions, as the UK adapts to life outside the EU -Shifts in economic policy, following the impact of Brexit, Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine -Changing voter attitudes, with questions raised about the balance between the major political parties -The impact of social media and alternative communications channels on media, culture and politics. With key data, further reading suggestions and case studies on topics such as attitudes towards the monarchy, regional inequalities and national cuisine, Contemporary Britain is the ideal introduction for students and interested general readers alike.

How to Do Things with Books in Victorian Britain

How to Do Things with Books in Victorian Britain PDF Author: Leah Price
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691159548
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 360

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Book Description
How to Do Things with Books in Victorian Britain asks how our culture came to frown on using books for any purpose other than reading. When did the coffee-table book become an object of scorn? Why did law courts forbid witnesses to kiss the Bible? What made Victorian cartoonists mock commuters who hid behind the newspaper, ladies who matched their books' binding to their dress, and servants who reduced newspapers to fish 'n' chips wrap? Shedding new light on novels by Thackeray, Dickens, the Brontës, Trollope, and Collins, as well as the urban sociology of Henry Mayhew, Leah Price also uncovers the lives and afterlives of anonymous religious tracts and household manuals. From knickknacks to wastepaper, books mattered to the Victorians in ways that cannot be explained by their printed content alone. And whether displayed, defaced, exchanged, or discarded, printed matter participated, and still participates, in a range of transactions that stretches far beyond reading. Supplementing close readings with a sensitive reconstruction of how Victorians thought and felt about books, Price offers a new model for integrating literary theory with cultural history. How to Do Things with Books in Victorian Britain reshapes our understanding of the interplay between words and objects in the nineteenth century and beyond.

Britain and the Origins of the First World War

Britain and the Origins of the First World War PDF Author: Zara S. Steiner
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 0230213014
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 341

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Book Description
How and why did Britain become involved in the First World War? Taking into account the scholarship of the last twenty-five years, this second edition of Zara S. Steiner's classic study, thoroughly revised with Keith Neilson, explores a subject which is as highly contentious as ever. While retaining the basic argument that Britain went to war in 1914 not as a result of internal pressures but as a response to external events, Steiner and Neilson reject recent arguments that Britain became involved because of fears of an 'invented' German menace, or to defend her Empire. Instead, placing greater emphasis than before on the role of Russia, the authors convincingly argue that Britain entered the war in order to preserve the European balance of power and the nation's favourable position within it. Lucid and comprehensive, Britain and the Origins of the First World War brings together the bureaucratic, diplomatic, economic, strategical and ideological factors that led to Britain's entry into the Great War, and remains the most complete survey of the pre-war situation.

The History of Britain

The History of Britain PDF Author: John Milton
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Great Britain
Languages : en
Pages : 496

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Book Description


How Britain Really Works

How Britain Really Works PDF Author: Stig Abell
Publisher: John Murray
ISBN: 1473658403
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 388

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Book Description
'Absorbing . . . an intelligent and clear-eyed account of much that goes on in our country' Sunday Times Getting to grips with Great Britain is harder than ever. We are a nation that chose Brexit, rejects immigration but is dependent on it, is getting older but less healthy, is more demanding of public services but less willing to pay for them, is tired of intervention abroad but wants to remain a global authority. We have an over-stretched, free health service (an idea from the 1940s that may not survive the 2020s), overcrowded prisons, a military without an evident purpose, an education system the envy of none of the Western world. How did we get here and where are we going? How Britain Really Works is a guide to Britain and its institutions (the economy, the military, schools, hospitals, the media, and more), which explains just how we got to wherever it is we are. It will not tell you what opinions to have, but will give you the information to help you reach your own. By the end, you will know how Britain works - or doesn't. 'Stig Abell is an urbane, and often jaunty guide to modern Britain, in the mould of Bill Bryson' Irish Times