Age of Hope: Labour, 1945, and the Birth of Modern Britain

The legacy of the Attlee government of 1945 and how it has influenced successive Labour administrations is explored in Professor Richard Toye's book "Age of Hope: Labour's Century in Power." The book covers Labour's history from 1900 to the present, including the foundation of the party, the First World War, the General Strike, the Spanish Civil War, and the coalition war-time government under Churchill. It discusses the great names of Labour history and how successive governments have fashioned it in their own image.

Format: Hardback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 12 October 2023
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

WAS THE ATTLEE GOVERNMENT OF 1945 REALLY THE GOLDEN PERIOD OF LABOUR POWER? 2024 marks the centenary of the first Labour government under Ramsay MacDonald. What legacy of the past have they left behind? How far has each Labour administration influenced succeeding administrations?

Above all, was the Attlee government of 1945 really the golden period of Labour power? Professor Richard Toye explores Labours exercise of power as a continuum, setting Attlees administration in long-term historical context between the first Labour Government of 1924 and the current party under Keir Starmer. Within this context, he shows why the Attlee administration matters so much and how successive Labour governments have fashioned it in their own image.

Into this story are woven the foundation of the Labour Party in 1900, the First World War, the General Strike of 1926, the Spanish Civil War and the coalition war-time government under Churchill. Also discussed are the great names of Labour history: Ramsay MacDonald, Clement Attlee himself, Ernest Bevin, Aneurin Bevan, Hugh Gaitskell, Harold Wilson and Ellen Wilkinson.

Covering Labours history all the way up to the present - including Wilson and Blairs attempts to wrap themselves in Attlees mantle and Corbyns version of Attlee focused on the NHS and the welfare state - Age of Hope is an incisive, informative look at a political party that has been fundamental in shaping modern Britain and will be equally instrumental in its future.

Dimension: 234 x 153 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781472992307