THE TRANSFORMATION OF BRITISH LIFE: 1950-2000. A SOCIAL HISTORY

Natalia (C1):

After reading this book one has a clear idea of how British life and customs have changed in only fifty years. This change, which is the main plot of the book, is explained in detail throughout some 200 pages. Several aspects of the UK’s daily life have been taken into account, like food, education, work, home or religion.

The changes in food habits concern both the way of eating and the way of buying food. By the second half of the 20th century, Britain starts to try the new exotic food brought by immigrants from all parts of the world, but also a new way of shopping due to the increasing use of the car and the building of enormous shopping centers in the outskirts of cities, which provided (and still do) both leisure and the possibility of doing the shopping in the same building. It is also important to mention the increasing quantity of foreign restaurants opening all across the country.

Regarding education, there have been various remarkable changes. The education given to children was decisive for their future, and a sign of social class. This fact has not completely changed, as there still exist schools for the “higher social classes”, but the education system was gradually reformed, reducing these differences. The idea that the British are strongly concerned with social class is repeatedly mentioned throughout the chapters. More remarkable was the immersion of women and of ethnic minorities in higher education. The access to university studies led to a huge amount of skilled workers, more and more demanded in a “de-industrialized” Britain, while the unskilled workers, who were the majority in the first half of the century, were losing their jobs.

Religion was not the center of British life any more. Orthodox institutions, such as the monarchy, religion and marriage, experimented a deep decline in popular support.

The necessity of a quick reconstruction of Britain after the war led to European architects to construct high-rise blocks of flats, which sparked the refusal of British architects, at least at first. All in all, Britons have always preferred the traditional detached houses, which maintain their privacy.

In the background, the radical change in the British mentality is also stressed, particularly from the 1960s on, and the economic situation of the people and of the government after the Second World War. The arrival of the American culture, its food, clothes and music, together with the sexual freedom of the 60s, resulted in a more flexible, diverse society. Measures taken by the different governments in different areas made the rich richer and the poor poorer.

The writer of the book, Andrew Rosen, is considered an authority in the fields of history, education and social studies and trends. Throughout his career, Rosen has embraced an outcome-based approach to education, focusing on student achievement and success. As Chief Executive Officer of Kaplan Higher Education, he brought online and campus-based learning opportunities to working adults, becoming a pioneer in the burgeoning education market.

In his book, Andrew Rosen explains this complex transformation in a way that no other historians have done. All these aspects of the standards of living, housing, food and transport, as well as social, cultural and moral values, are normally not taken into account by historians, who consider these issues as supporting roles. The sources which his knowledge are based on are actually extensive, stretching from newspapers, such as the Financial Times, to periodicals, reports and articles or books from other important experts on these issues. Of course his arguments are completely objective, based on actual facts, evident and patent to those who have visited Britain.

My opinion as a reader is that perhaps the way in which the writer presents the information might turn out to be linear, meaning “always in the same way,” although perfectly comprehensible. It is written in a standard vocabulary, easy to read even for non-native English speakers. Andrew Rosen writes with fairness and balance.

I would recommend this book to all those interested in recent history or social trends, but looked from another point of view. The book is written specifically for Great Britain but, when you read it, you realize that the same history is, in many senses, common to many countries of the European Union. This work is not focused on the Kings and Queens, or wars... but chiefly on the people's life, on how this was influenced by prosperity, on what is really important for daily routine. It is true that, apart from historians, sociologists, students of English Studies or British people themselves, this book cannot be too interesting to any other people, because of its mere informative nature.

For those who want to or have to read it, I would advise them to do it slowly, paying attention to the figures that the author offers, and re-read them if necessary, as they are an important part of the book, because these figures demonstrate the trends.

Once you have finished the book, you will draw your own conclusions, perhaps different from the previous idea that you had about Britain. My own is that Britons are still concerned with social class and are proud of their country, as they are now much wealthier than fifty years ago, but also they feel less respected, especially after their entrance in the European Union.

ANDREW ROSEN -

THE TRANSFORMATION OF BRITISH LIFE: 1950-2000. A SOCIAL HISTORY.

Manchester and New York

Manchester University Press – 2003