Decline & Fall of the British Aristocrac - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0141023139 ISBN 13: 9780141023137

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Synopsis

At the outset of the 1870s, the British aristocracy could rightly consider themselves the most fortunate people on earth: they held the lion's share of land, wealth and power in the world's greatest empire. By the end of the 1930s they had lost not only a generation of sons in the First World War, but also much of their prosperity, prestige and political significance.David Cannadine shows how this shift came about and how it was reinforced in the aftermath of the Second World War. Lucidly written and sparkling with wit, The Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy is a landmark study that dramatically changes our understanding of British social history

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

"A brilliant, multifaceted chronicle of economic and social change." --The New York Times

"No praise can be too high." --The New York Review of Books

At the outset of the 1870s, the British aristocracy could rightly consider themselves the most fortunate people on earth: they held the lion's share of land, wealth, and power in the world's greatest empire. By the end of the 1930s they had lost not only a generation of sons in the First World War, but also much of their prosperity, prestige, and political significance.

Deftly orchestrating an enormous array of documents and letters, facts, and statistics, David Cannadine shows how this shift came about--and how it was reinforced in the aftermath of the Second World War. Astonishingly learned, lucidly written, and sparkling with wit, The Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy is a landmark study that dramatically changes our understanding of British social history.

"Cannadine has produced a great book, one that is comprehensive in its scope, and of critical importance."                                                                    --London Review of Books

About the Author:

David Cannadine was born in Birmingham and educated at the universities of Cambridge, Oxford and Princeton. He is now the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother's Professor of British History at the Institute of Historical Research, University of London. He is the editor and author of many acclaimed books including In Churchill's Shadow and Ornamentalism.

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
• ISBN 10: 0141023139
• ISBN 13: 9780141023137
• Binding: Paperback