Warfare State: Britain, 1920–1970A challenge to the central theme of the existing histories of twentieth-century Britain, that the British state was a welfare state, this book argues that it was also a warfare state, which supported a powerful armaments industry. This insight implies major revisions to our understanding of twentieth-century British history, from appeasement, to wartime industrial and economic policy, and the place of science and technology in government. David Edgerton also shows how British intellectuals came to think of the state in terms of welfare and decline, and includes a devastating analysis of C. P. Snow's two cultures. This groundbreaking book offers a new, post-welfarist and post-declinist, account of Britain, and an original analysis of the relations of science, technology, industry and the military. It will be essential reading for those working on the history and historiography of twentieth-century Britain, the historical sociology of war and the history of science and technology. |
Contents
1 | |
The militaryindustrial complex in the interwar years | 15 |
The warfare state and the nationalisation of Britain 193955 | 59 |
The expert state the militaryscientific complex in the interwar years | 108 |
The new men and the new state 193970 | 145 |
Antihistorians and technocrats revisiting the technocratic moment 195964 | 191 |
Other editions - View all
Warfare State: World War II Americans and the Age of Big Government James T. Sparrow Limited preview - 2011 |
Common terms and phrases
A. J. P. Taylor academic accounts administrative class Admiralty Air Ministry aircraft industry anti-histories argued arguments armaments arms industry army atomic battleships Benn Bernal Blackett bomb Britain British industry British science C. P. Snow cent central civil servants civil service civilian Committee critique culture decline Department director DSIR E. P. Thompson economic Edgerton example experts factories firms forces Germany Harold Wilson Henry Tizard historians historiography HMSO Ibid Imperial College important intellectuals interwar J. D. Bernal John laboratories Labour liberal London Lord Macmillan Manchester military Minister Ministry of Technology Mintech nationalisation naval navy nuclear operational research particular peace permanent secretary post-war production Professor radar rearmament research and development research corps science and technology scientific adviser scientific officers Second World Second World War senior Snow social Solly Zuckerman strategy supply ministries tank technical technocratic Tizard twentieth century Vickers warfare wartime weapons welfare
References to this book
Cosmic Society: Towards a Sociology of the Universe Peter Dickens,James S. Ormrod No preview available - 2007 |