Politics of the Past
Inter-war Memories and the Making of British Popular Politics, 1939-2009
Published on 4. September 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
299 pages
978-1-009-34031-1 (ISBN)
Description
The inter-war period (1918-1939) is still remembered as a period of mass deprivation - the 'hungry thirties'. But how did this impression emerge? Thousands of conversations about life in the inter-war period - between parents and children around the dinner table; among workmates at the pub - shaped these understandings. In turn, these fed into popular politics. Stories about the embryonic welfare system in the early-twentieth century informed how people felt towards the National Health Service; memories of the Great Depression shaped arguments about state intervention in the economy. Challenging accounts of widespread political disengagement in the twentieth century, Politics of the Past shows how re-telling family stories about the inter-war period offered ordinary people an accessible way of engaging in politics. Drawing on six local case studies across Scotland and England, this book explains how stories about the inter-war working-class experience in industrial areas came to appear commonplace nationwide.
Reviews / Votes
'Cowan mobilises memory as a powerful means of understanding historical change, the relationship between generations over time, and, ultimately, the history of modern Britain. An outstanding contribution to the field.' Claire Langhamer, University of Sussex 'Cowan takes his readers on a tour of cities around the UK, richly evoking the specificities of place while building a compelling argument about the shifting meanings of the thirties in popular political imaginaries.' Florence Sutcliffe-Braithwaite, University College London 'This insightful and engaging book is not only a sophisticated study of memories of the inter-war period, but also a thought-provoking analysis of British popular political culture across the twentieth century. Politics of the Past makes numerous important interventions in the history of modern Britain.' Adrian Bingham, University of Sheffield 'By drawing upon a rich array of social-science interviews, David Cowan reveals how the place of the Depression in post-war politics was shaped by family stories, shifting memories and locality. Politics of the Past is a fascinating account of popular politics and shows the power of emotions, everyday experiences and generation in political life.' Stephanie Ward, Cardiff University 'In his deeply researched and richly analytical book, David Cowan explores the ways in which memories of the 1930s have been variably composed, narrated and received across post-war British history. ... [The book] will be of significant interest to oral historians because of the central place of memory within its purview.' George Severs, Oral History SocietyMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises
Dimensions
Height: 152 mm
Width: 229 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
438 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-009-34031-1 (9781009340311)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
David Cowan
Politics of the Past
Inter-war Memories and the Making of British Popular Politics, 1939-2009
Book
04/2024
Cambridge University Press
€110.50
Shipment within 15-20 days
Person
David Cowan teaches at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and was previously a Research Fellow at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He won the 2017 Duncan Tanner prize, awarded by the editors of the journal Twentieth Century British History for an article submitted while he was a graduate student.
Content
Introduction; 1. Glasgow: planning the post-war city; 2. London: inter-war memories at home; 3. Huddersfield: education and the politics of family memory; 4. Luton: migration and workplace politics; 5. Aberdeen: healthcare in older age; 6. Birmingham: immigration and the global politics of the past; Epilogue.