by Martin Johnes (Author)
The period since 1939 saw more rapid and significant change than any other time in Welsh history. Wales developed a more assertive identity of its own and some of the apparatus of a nation state. Yet its economy floundered between boom and bust, its traditional communities were transformed and the Welsh language and other aspects of its distinctiveness were undermined by a globalizing world. Wales was also deeply divided by class, language, ethnicity, gender, religion and region. Its people grew wealthier, healthier and more educated but they were not always happier. This ground-breaking book examines the story of Wales since 1939, giving voice to ordinary people and the variety of experiences within the nation. This is a history of not just a nation, but of its residents' hopes and fears, their struggles and pleasures and their views of where they lived and the wider world.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 496
Publisher: Manchester University Press
Published: 01 Mar 2012
ISBN 10: 0719086671
ISBN 13: 9780719086670
Book Overview: 'This book takes a pioneering and hugely important approach that liberates us from the political narrative that far too often dominates the telling of Welsh history. It is a challenging, entertaining, humorous and myth-shattering read.' Professor Peter Stead, historian and broadcaster 'A remarkable piece of scholarship, ambitious in scope, wide ranging and thunderously well-informed.' Gareth Williams, Professor in the Division of History in the School of Humanities and Social Science, University of Glamorgan