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The People: The Rise and Fall of the Working Class, 1910-2010
What was it really like to live through the twentieth century? In 1910 three-quarters of the population were working class, but their story has been ignored until now.
Based on the first-person accounts of servants, factory workers, miners and housewives, award-winning historian Selina Todd reveals an unexpected Britain where cinema audiences shook their fists at footage of Winston Churchill, communities supported strikers and pools winners (like Viv Nicholson) refused to become respectable. Charting the rise of the working class, through two world wars to their fall in Thatcher's Britain and today, Todd tells their story for the first time, in their own words.
Uncovering a huge hidden swathe of Britain's past, The People is the vivid history of a revolutionary century and the people who really made Britain great.
Based on the first-person accounts of servants, factory workers, miners and housewives, award-winning historian Selina Todd reveals an unexpected Britain where cinema audiences shook their fists at footage of Winston Churchill, communities supported strikers and pools winners (like Viv Nicholson) refused to become respectable. Charting the rise of the working class, through two world wars to their fall in Thatcher's Britain and today, Todd tells their story for the first time, in their own words.
Uncovering a huge hidden swathe of Britain's past, The People is the vivid history of a revolutionary century and the people who really made Britain great.
464 pages, Hardcover
First published April 10, 2014
92 people are currently reading
1,208 people want to read
About the author
Selina Todd
7Ìýbooks18ÌýfollowersSelina Todd is an English historian and writer. From 2015, she has been Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford. Todd's research focuses on the history of the working-class, women and feminism in modern Britain. Since 2017, Todd has also been president of the Socialist Educational Association.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
November 13, 2015
One of those books I wish everyone would read. A necessary antidote to the political and ideological narratives and myths that dominate conversations about class, work, citizenship, poverty and inequality. Todd puts shifts in politics and policy firmly into the context of real people's lives as they were (and are) actually lived, undermining the simplistic assumptions we tend to carry around without realising it - picked up from political rhetoric, media and yes, even historians.
As Todd disturbs our lazy historical picture with a wealth of detail and complications, a new picture gradually emerges out of those very details and the lives and experiences of actual people. That new "big picture" turns out to be quite simple and not really new after all: the exploitation of the many by the few, a wealthy elite that clings to power, and the struggle by ordinary people to gain more control over their own lives.
At the heart of Todd's history, there is a story about the rise and fall of working class collectivity: collective identity, organisation, action. The last 40 years has largely been defined by a deliberate push to undermine and punish that collective spirit, and to redefine the working class as marginal: the enemy within, the undeserving poor or, at best, as helpless victims. The consequences for many have been devastating. But if that overall story seems bleak, don't be put off: there is so much life, love and humanity in the personal stories that fill this book, it is an absolute joy to read.
On the cover of the hardback is a photograph of workers at a picket line during the 1936 Ingram strike in Hackney Wick. Some of the women have paired up and are dancing in the street, while onlookers smile and laugh. It is the perfect image to sum up the warmth and humanity of this complex, powerful, necessary book.
As Todd disturbs our lazy historical picture with a wealth of detail and complications, a new picture gradually emerges out of those very details and the lives and experiences of actual people. That new "big picture" turns out to be quite simple and not really new after all: the exploitation of the many by the few, a wealthy elite that clings to power, and the struggle by ordinary people to gain more control over their own lives.
At the heart of Todd's history, there is a story about the rise and fall of working class collectivity: collective identity, organisation, action. The last 40 years has largely been defined by a deliberate push to undermine and punish that collective spirit, and to redefine the working class as marginal: the enemy within, the undeserving poor or, at best, as helpless victims. The consequences for many have been devastating. But if that overall story seems bleak, don't be put off: there is so much life, love and humanity in the personal stories that fill this book, it is an absolute joy to read.
On the cover of the hardback is a photograph of workers at a picket line during the 1936 Ingram strike in Hackney Wick. Some of the women have paired up and are dancing in the street, while onlookers smile and laugh. It is the perfect image to sum up the warmth and humanity of this complex, powerful, necessary book.
February 25, 2015
The People The Rise and Fall of The Working Class
The People The Rise and Fall of The Working Class by Selina Todd is the natural bedfellow to EP Thompson’s The Making of the English Working Class both seminal works and much needed in the context of current historical discourse. Selina Todd covers an area which has much need and a book that has been badly needed as nobody has looked at how the working classes rose to a nadir and since then been sold a pup and sold down river.
The People offers a clear readable and concise history of the working class over the last century and uses the stories from the working classes to give the book clarity which helps to give a compelling historical narrative covering a century of British History. In the century that this covers we have seen two world wars the creation of a welfare state and the neglect and turning on the working classes. One can argue that the working class in both wars served enmass and while their welfare was being neglected at the same time.
Todd examines how the working classes became the enemy within not once but twice in a century and in the final chapters offers some excellent analysis of this. The historical and political arguments laid out in this book are compelling and one feels the anger at the injustice at the same being written in a style that is open to all rather than those engrossed in history and politics.
What makes this book really compelling is that Selina Todd as a historian has written it in a way that can be seen as both neutral but passionate, factual not overbearing but rather subtle. One can compare the policies of the Baldwin Conservative government of the 1930s with that of the current coalition government and that the Conservatives have not changed one iota since then.
The hope that the election of the Labour Government in 1945 can be compared to that of the Labour Government elected in 1997. Not afraid to tackle subjects such as equality and feminism that can be quite dry are engaging and leave you wondering why Labour when it had the opportunities did not raise the equality for all but were in deference to the moneyed.
Todd could have easily have argued that some things do not change but leaves it to the reader to make up their own mind. We are taken on a journey and can see how Thatcher’s Britain finally put the working class back in their box to serve the rich as they had always done. The actual scope of this book is frightening but is backed up by first class research, some fantastic autobiographical extracts that are interwoven throughout the book.
This is an excellent book and Selina Todd finally puts on our shelves a book that is much needed and required reading for all students of British Politics and British History. Maybe one day the meek will inherit the earth but as this book shows the working class will always have to fight for it because there is some rich man willing to sell them down river to protect his money and class.
The People The Rise and Fall of The Working Class by Selina Todd is the natural bedfellow to EP Thompson’s The Making of the English Working Class both seminal works and much needed in the context of current historical discourse. Selina Todd covers an area which has much need and a book that has been badly needed as nobody has looked at how the working classes rose to a nadir and since then been sold a pup and sold down river.
The People offers a clear readable and concise history of the working class over the last century and uses the stories from the working classes to give the book clarity which helps to give a compelling historical narrative covering a century of British History. In the century that this covers we have seen two world wars the creation of a welfare state and the neglect and turning on the working classes. One can argue that the working class in both wars served enmass and while their welfare was being neglected at the same time.
Todd examines how the working classes became the enemy within not once but twice in a century and in the final chapters offers some excellent analysis of this. The historical and political arguments laid out in this book are compelling and one feels the anger at the injustice at the same being written in a style that is open to all rather than those engrossed in history and politics.
What makes this book really compelling is that Selina Todd as a historian has written it in a way that can be seen as both neutral but passionate, factual not overbearing but rather subtle. One can compare the policies of the Baldwin Conservative government of the 1930s with that of the current coalition government and that the Conservatives have not changed one iota since then.
The hope that the election of the Labour Government in 1945 can be compared to that of the Labour Government elected in 1997. Not afraid to tackle subjects such as equality and feminism that can be quite dry are engaging and leave you wondering why Labour when it had the opportunities did not raise the equality for all but were in deference to the moneyed.
Todd could have easily have argued that some things do not change but leaves it to the reader to make up their own mind. We are taken on a journey and can see how Thatcher’s Britain finally put the working class back in their box to serve the rich as they had always done. The actual scope of this book is frightening but is backed up by first class research, some fantastic autobiographical extracts that are interwoven throughout the book.
This is an excellent book and Selina Todd finally puts on our shelves a book that is much needed and required reading for all students of British Politics and British History. Maybe one day the meek will inherit the earth but as this book shows the working class will always have to fight for it because there is some rich man willing to sell them down river to protect his money and class.
February 1, 2016
I enjoyed this well researched reminder of the struggles in our country for a more equal society that took place throughout the 20th century, the latter parts I remember well, especially the battles to prevent us from going backwards. An inspirational book, reminding me that the fight for a representative democracy, free education, access to heath care, & security for ordinary working people was hard fought. It is also a reminder to me that the growing inequality gap in recent times is there to be challenged & perhaps this book will provide a spur to those of us who would like to have a go at doing that for the benefit of all
April 6, 2019
The People: The Rise and Fall of the Working Class
By Selina Todd
The People is a modern historical analysis of class, equality, citizenship and organisation of labour in the UK. Beginning at the early part of the 20th Century through to the 21st, all major progressive reforms achieved during this period are covered, as well as the struggles to achieve them (and to some extent where they were lost).
It is a sobering read told with figures, political victories and defeats but with the added human touch of interviews from people who lived through all these parts of history.
Selina’s work is well researched and punchy (110 years told in approximately 350 pages). However, I do feel the book could have benefited with some extra focus on the 1990’s through to the 2000’s. This section is certainly the shortest in coverage.
It is difficult to read this book and not feel a sense of injustice and anger. The degree to which the poor and working class were downtrodden in the 1930’s is confronting and only began to be rectified in the post-war years. That the ideal to which those generations worked towards has changed and been undone is a key part of the history.
While the size of the working class has since grown, the power of those who supply labour has diminished since the mid-20th century (although as evidenced by the general strike of the 1920’s it historically hasn’t had power and it had taken time to accumulate it). This book will raise questions, such as when was the last time a politician aimed to deliver full employment or wanted to reduce inequality and effectively abolish poverty while not blaming the majority of those in such circumstances?
Anyone interested in social political history should read this book. But, I especially suggest anyone born from the 1980’s onwards read The People. Much of the history and discussion around the working class and equality pre-dates then. By being aware of the history of these matters, it can inform the current discussions happening over future years as inequality continues to grow.
4/5 stars
By Selina Todd
The People is a modern historical analysis of class, equality, citizenship and organisation of labour in the UK. Beginning at the early part of the 20th Century through to the 21st, all major progressive reforms achieved during this period are covered, as well as the struggles to achieve them (and to some extent where they were lost).
It is a sobering read told with figures, political victories and defeats but with the added human touch of interviews from people who lived through all these parts of history.
Selina’s work is well researched and punchy (110 years told in approximately 350 pages). However, I do feel the book could have benefited with some extra focus on the 1990’s through to the 2000’s. This section is certainly the shortest in coverage.
It is difficult to read this book and not feel a sense of injustice and anger. The degree to which the poor and working class were downtrodden in the 1930’s is confronting and only began to be rectified in the post-war years. That the ideal to which those generations worked towards has changed and been undone is a key part of the history.
While the size of the working class has since grown, the power of those who supply labour has diminished since the mid-20th century (although as evidenced by the general strike of the 1920’s it historically hasn’t had power and it had taken time to accumulate it). This book will raise questions, such as when was the last time a politician aimed to deliver full employment or wanted to reduce inequality and effectively abolish poverty while not blaming the majority of those in such circumstances?
Anyone interested in social political history should read this book. But, I especially suggest anyone born from the 1980’s onwards read The People. Much of the history and discussion around the working class and equality pre-dates then. By being aware of the history of these matters, it can inform the current discussions happening over future years as inequality continues to grow.
4/5 stars
July 5, 2014
An earlier generation of British historians set out to tell the story of the working class with the expectation that their studies would end on an ascendant note. Thompson’s account of the making of the English working class, Cole and Postgate’s, ‘The Common People�, and Hobsbawm’s ‘Labouring Men� were amongst the many strands of reasoning which traced a ‘rise� of the working class from a point in the early eighteenth century, and which held out the hope that the social consciousness which sustained solidarity and collectivism would lay the foundations for a socialist society.
This account by the Oxford historian Selina Todd is locates itself within the lineage of British labour studies, but on this occasion there is a crest to the rising theme, and the concluding point is how it is now tending towards a fall, if that end hasn’t already been achieved.
Even with this gloomy prognosis she is building on foundations laid by the work which began rolling off the presses in the 1980s which told of a ‘forward march of labour, halted�. At some point during the century Todd focuses on the solidarity and consciousness of common interest that had been forged by the life experiences of the production line and the working class community had become inadequate to the task of driving history onwards, and at the point of its faltering, other forces stepped in and shunted things in a different direction.
The problem with this highly readable account is that it doesn’t quite get round to putting a name to the malaise which sapped away at the energies of the working class during this critical century. Todd provides an impeccable history of the social pressures which worked to reconstitute the working class over the course of the twentieth century and how these transformed its skill base, gender and ethnic composition. The reader sees all the points where the process of integrating women or immigrants into the business of capitalist production led to tension and conflict, and how all this could have resulted in a breakdown in the working class’s sense of its historical mission.
But none of these things provide a complete answer to the reasons for the ‘fall�. The battles were messy and the politics unpleasant during these years, but by the time the working class entered the final quarter of the century its traditional forms of trade unionism and reformist activity had made considerable strides in integrating women and immigrants into industrial organisation. On the face of it, the working class movement circa the mid-1970s, with its union membership of close on 13 million, robust local democracy organising the supply of housing to around 40% of the population, and the huge endorsement for the ethos of public service over private profit shown in the level of support for the NHS, was in a strong position to move onwards and upwards.
The final segment of the book, in a chapter headed ‘Hard Times�, tells the story of the labour movement’s encounter with Margaret Thatcher and the plunge over a steep cliff as far as the fortunes of the working class were concerned. Her mode of telling this story, used throughout the book, is to turn to a cohort of working class informants who lived through the period. It produces a lively and compelling narrative, but by the time we get to the miners� strike of 1984-85 the sense of a downward spiral becomes stronger, not just because of the dispute’s unfortunate outcome, but because it was leaving behind the concerns of the common people.
From here the story becomes that of a ‘New Britain�, forged by the market and neo-liberal values, and the tale of a Labour Party which briefly flourishes as it attempts to hang a progressive narrative around these developments, but ultimately flounders and gives the ball back to a triumphant right.
Todd surveys the wreckage in an epilogue and, thankfully, avoids the temptation to conclude that the game is lost. It isn’t, but what there is a vista of social and economic spaces hugely transformed by the rapid advance of the globalised version of capitalism that Thatcher did so much to usher in during her years in power. The malaise and torpor which equates with the ‘fall� of the working class is not so much a failure of solidarity and collectivism in itself, but of the politics of the a working class movement which did not adapt with sufficient vigour and foresight to the changed nature of the capitalist beast. In that sense, it was not the ‘modernisation� project attempted by a section of the Labour party during the 1980s that was the core of the problem, but the fact that it was the wrong type of modernisation pursued for the wrong reasons.
The apparent ‘fall� of the working class has not produced the classless society which capitalist ideologues tell us is our modern state of existence. States and markets still act together to bring the greater part of the population under the thrall of asset-monopolisers and global bourgeoisie whose largest faction is nowadays made up of shameless rent-chasers. The challenging question today is knowing where the new proletariat will find purchase for mounting a meaningful resistance to globalised capitalism, and go on from there to resume its forward march towards a decent human society.
This account by the Oxford historian Selina Todd is locates itself within the lineage of British labour studies, but on this occasion there is a crest to the rising theme, and the concluding point is how it is now tending towards a fall, if that end hasn’t already been achieved.
Even with this gloomy prognosis she is building on foundations laid by the work which began rolling off the presses in the 1980s which told of a ‘forward march of labour, halted�. At some point during the century Todd focuses on the solidarity and consciousness of common interest that had been forged by the life experiences of the production line and the working class community had become inadequate to the task of driving history onwards, and at the point of its faltering, other forces stepped in and shunted things in a different direction.
The problem with this highly readable account is that it doesn’t quite get round to putting a name to the malaise which sapped away at the energies of the working class during this critical century. Todd provides an impeccable history of the social pressures which worked to reconstitute the working class over the course of the twentieth century and how these transformed its skill base, gender and ethnic composition. The reader sees all the points where the process of integrating women or immigrants into the business of capitalist production led to tension and conflict, and how all this could have resulted in a breakdown in the working class’s sense of its historical mission.
But none of these things provide a complete answer to the reasons for the ‘fall�. The battles were messy and the politics unpleasant during these years, but by the time the working class entered the final quarter of the century its traditional forms of trade unionism and reformist activity had made considerable strides in integrating women and immigrants into industrial organisation. On the face of it, the working class movement circa the mid-1970s, with its union membership of close on 13 million, robust local democracy organising the supply of housing to around 40% of the population, and the huge endorsement for the ethos of public service over private profit shown in the level of support for the NHS, was in a strong position to move onwards and upwards.
The final segment of the book, in a chapter headed ‘Hard Times�, tells the story of the labour movement’s encounter with Margaret Thatcher and the plunge over a steep cliff as far as the fortunes of the working class were concerned. Her mode of telling this story, used throughout the book, is to turn to a cohort of working class informants who lived through the period. It produces a lively and compelling narrative, but by the time we get to the miners� strike of 1984-85 the sense of a downward spiral becomes stronger, not just because of the dispute’s unfortunate outcome, but because it was leaving behind the concerns of the common people.
From here the story becomes that of a ‘New Britain�, forged by the market and neo-liberal values, and the tale of a Labour Party which briefly flourishes as it attempts to hang a progressive narrative around these developments, but ultimately flounders and gives the ball back to a triumphant right.
Todd surveys the wreckage in an epilogue and, thankfully, avoids the temptation to conclude that the game is lost. It isn’t, but what there is a vista of social and economic spaces hugely transformed by the rapid advance of the globalised version of capitalism that Thatcher did so much to usher in during her years in power. The malaise and torpor which equates with the ‘fall� of the working class is not so much a failure of solidarity and collectivism in itself, but of the politics of the a working class movement which did not adapt with sufficient vigour and foresight to the changed nature of the capitalist beast. In that sense, it was not the ‘modernisation� project attempted by a section of the Labour party during the 1980s that was the core of the problem, but the fact that it was the wrong type of modernisation pursued for the wrong reasons.
The apparent ‘fall� of the working class has not produced the classless society which capitalist ideologues tell us is our modern state of existence. States and markets still act together to bring the greater part of the population under the thrall of asset-monopolisers and global bourgeoisie whose largest faction is nowadays made up of shameless rent-chasers. The challenging question today is knowing where the new proletariat will find purchase for mounting a meaningful resistance to globalised capitalism, and go on from there to resume its forward march towards a decent human society.
July 2, 2020
This is a solid, worthy and occasionally dull book about the (English) working class in the 100 years up to 2010 � this timespan attempts to chart the rise and ‘fall� of this class, which is mainly illustrated by oral testimonies of working people and some (critical) political history. Between the sections is interleaved the story of Viv ‘Spend Spend Spend� Nicholson, who spaffed her pools win away and returned whence she came, and who allegedly represents this arc of decline.
The 'rise' section is largely driven by the political circumstances of the 1930s, and the world war, which led to the demand for the welfare state after the war, and then the prosperity of the 1960s and the rise of working class culture (led by popstars, fashion and film icons, and sports heroes). The 'decline' part can be dated to the post-oil crash (neoliberal) counter-revolution of the 1980s, led by Thatcher and her offspring (such as Tony Blair), which resulted in concerted attack on trade union rights and the use of unemployment to lower wages and impose industrial discipline (via insecurity). It could also be called the rise of managerialism and the financial elite, given the massive transfer of funds from the workforce to the shareholders. More worryingly, as the author notes, work became the central obsession of the lives of many people, fuelling unsustainable consumption and stress-related illness.
One glaring issue with the book is that it never really defines who the 'working class' are � in the early parts of the book, in Edwardian Britain, this is certainly more obvious, as most people lacked education and could only undertake manual labour. (Interestingly, the largest section of the workforce then was employed in domestic service, which was a very clear position of subordination to your social betters, and was generally hated even more than factory work, where you at least had collegiality and the possibility of union rights.) At one point, the author says that in early 21c over 60% of the population self-identified as ‘working class�, and then on other occasions this term is applied liberally to 'anyone who has to work for a living�, which would seem to include nearly all of us (the '99%'). The rise of precarious work also undermines this slightly, as many people have no workplace, no 'job' as such, and few workplace rights, but certainly have to work for a living, yet are clearly not a 'class' in any meaningful sense.
The best parts of the book for me were the early sections on domestic service, and the general strike, and the parts on the militant unionism of the 1970s (this is all blamed at the door of the govt and establishment, against the usual narrative of 'union barons'). These major events are all deserving of more in-depth treatment which this type of general history cannot afford them. The book ends with an extended Afterword, comprising an impassioned diatribe against the austerity policies of the 2010 coalition govt and a rallying cry against the inequalities of capitalism itself � this seems somewhat incongruous in a history book. This is the least convincing part of the book for me, and given that the book came out in 2015, before the Brexit vote (which is often seen as a vote against the 'elites'), it reads somewhat strangely now.
The 'rise' section is largely driven by the political circumstances of the 1930s, and the world war, which led to the demand for the welfare state after the war, and then the prosperity of the 1960s and the rise of working class culture (led by popstars, fashion and film icons, and sports heroes). The 'decline' part can be dated to the post-oil crash (neoliberal) counter-revolution of the 1980s, led by Thatcher and her offspring (such as Tony Blair), which resulted in concerted attack on trade union rights and the use of unemployment to lower wages and impose industrial discipline (via insecurity). It could also be called the rise of managerialism and the financial elite, given the massive transfer of funds from the workforce to the shareholders. More worryingly, as the author notes, work became the central obsession of the lives of many people, fuelling unsustainable consumption and stress-related illness.
One glaring issue with the book is that it never really defines who the 'working class' are � in the early parts of the book, in Edwardian Britain, this is certainly more obvious, as most people lacked education and could only undertake manual labour. (Interestingly, the largest section of the workforce then was employed in domestic service, which was a very clear position of subordination to your social betters, and was generally hated even more than factory work, where you at least had collegiality and the possibility of union rights.) At one point, the author says that in early 21c over 60% of the population self-identified as ‘working class�, and then on other occasions this term is applied liberally to 'anyone who has to work for a living�, which would seem to include nearly all of us (the '99%'). The rise of precarious work also undermines this slightly, as many people have no workplace, no 'job' as such, and few workplace rights, but certainly have to work for a living, yet are clearly not a 'class' in any meaningful sense.
The best parts of the book for me were the early sections on domestic service, and the general strike, and the parts on the militant unionism of the 1970s (this is all blamed at the door of the govt and establishment, against the usual narrative of 'union barons'). These major events are all deserving of more in-depth treatment which this type of general history cannot afford them. The book ends with an extended Afterword, comprising an impassioned diatribe against the austerity policies of the 2010 coalition govt and a rallying cry against the inequalities of capitalism itself � this seems somewhat incongruous in a history book. This is the least convincing part of the book for me, and given that the book came out in 2015, before the Brexit vote (which is often seen as a vote against the 'elites'), it reads somewhat strangely now.
January 4, 2015
Reading this book made me angry, but also far from nostalgic because the past it detailed had a painfully current feel to it.
The experience of the 1930s, for example, had such a terrible resonance with here and now, as ideology- and prejudice-driven politicians hack away at the social security safety net, destroy the provision of genuinely affordable social rented housing, and enforce growing inequality.
This is our past as our future, if we don't heed the warnings.
The book, as the subtitle says, charts the rise of the working class as a central aspect of The People, that is citizens with aspirations, a political outlook and sense of collective self that is their own. It is also the tale of their downfall, as embittered and greedy establishment politicians sought to destroy their instititions, the relative gains they had made, their sense of both individual and collective identity, and generally reduce them to their 'right and proper place' -- that is as despised outcasts who are more akin to an enemy within than The People.
We're living through the endgame of this process now, yet as the book indicated, more people than ever regard themselves as working class. Politicans and media barons have nurtured and exploited some bitter differences, such as 'feckless benefit scoungers' versus 'hard working people' (despite the fact the biggest growth areas in welfare claims are amongst those in work), immigrant versus indigenous, etc. They've resurrected the nefarious notion that poverty is the result of individual failings, not a system rigged to favour the upper echelons of society.
In short, it chronicles the part played by ordinary working class people to create a more equal society, a more socially democratic society, but also the 'counter-revolution' to destroy those gains, to sidetrack and undermine efforts to develop the gains further, and to eliminate the working class as a social, political and economic force.
It's a counter-revolution that began before Margaret Thatcher, but one she nevertheless turbocharged and bequeathed to her successors -- Labour and Tory alike -- to complete. Indeed, reading this book, it proved a timely reminder that Thatcher did not so much create Thatcherism as assemble it from ready-made components left over from her predecessors.
The book tells its story through the voices and perspective of working class people, an essential aspect when today the working class is all too often denied a voice or a presence on the public stage, other than as victim or as caricature.
The People is a work of social history, but the themes it deals with are very much of contemporary relevance; not just history, but a chronicle of an outrage in social regression that is being enforced today. If you want to understand something about Britain in the early 21st Century, then you need to listen to the experiences recouned in this book.
The experience of the 1930s, for example, had such a terrible resonance with here and now, as ideology- and prejudice-driven politicians hack away at the social security safety net, destroy the provision of genuinely affordable social rented housing, and enforce growing inequality.
This is our past as our future, if we don't heed the warnings.
The book, as the subtitle says, charts the rise of the working class as a central aspect of The People, that is citizens with aspirations, a political outlook and sense of collective self that is their own. It is also the tale of their downfall, as embittered and greedy establishment politicians sought to destroy their instititions, the relative gains they had made, their sense of both individual and collective identity, and generally reduce them to their 'right and proper place' -- that is as despised outcasts who are more akin to an enemy within than The People.
We're living through the endgame of this process now, yet as the book indicated, more people than ever regard themselves as working class. Politicans and media barons have nurtured and exploited some bitter differences, such as 'feckless benefit scoungers' versus 'hard working people' (despite the fact the biggest growth areas in welfare claims are amongst those in work), immigrant versus indigenous, etc. They've resurrected the nefarious notion that poverty is the result of individual failings, not a system rigged to favour the upper echelons of society.
In short, it chronicles the part played by ordinary working class people to create a more equal society, a more socially democratic society, but also the 'counter-revolution' to destroy those gains, to sidetrack and undermine efforts to develop the gains further, and to eliminate the working class as a social, political and economic force.
It's a counter-revolution that began before Margaret Thatcher, but one she nevertheless turbocharged and bequeathed to her successors -- Labour and Tory alike -- to complete. Indeed, reading this book, it proved a timely reminder that Thatcher did not so much create Thatcherism as assemble it from ready-made components left over from her predecessors.
The book tells its story through the voices and perspective of working class people, an essential aspect when today the working class is all too often denied a voice or a presence on the public stage, other than as victim or as caricature.
The People is a work of social history, but the themes it deals with are very much of contemporary relevance; not just history, but a chronicle of an outrage in social regression that is being enforced today. If you want to understand something about Britain in the early 21st Century, then you need to listen to the experiences recouned in this book.
August 28, 2020
Take a shot every time she says ‘make ends meet�
March 18, 2021
Not a book to read if you want to live with indifference and ignorance of the current economic and political landscape of the UK. The author clearly details the continuing abuse by the tiny minority who run the country, of the rest of the populous, from the early 1900's to present day (2015). The appalling living conditions and powerlessness of the working class, made a depressing comparison to todays struggles which seem to be spiralling down to the 1930 levels. As a shop steward I found the first section fascinating, showing how even within unions and workers collectives there were levels of class where, for example, women and servants were excluded from being able to join. All levels of society have needed to address their prejudices and work together, if they desire to make any lasting changes.
One review said that the book didn't show why the working class rose and fell, but it seemed to me that the author showed that this was because 'the people' have always been failed by the governments, whether Tory or Labour, with the exception of the post war Labour government, (though they also failed to go far enough). The rise and fall have been due to the ruling class desire to stand above the rest, fear of losing their control.
In the afterward the author really let rip and, though never really giving a impartial view in preceding chapters, made plain their personal view of the ruling class and recent governments. I loved the impassioned rant, considering it the best chapter of the book.
One review said that the book didn't show why the working class rose and fell, but it seemed to me that the author showed that this was because 'the people' have always been failed by the governments, whether Tory or Labour, with the exception of the post war Labour government, (though they also failed to go far enough). The rise and fall have been due to the ruling class desire to stand above the rest, fear of losing their control.
In the afterward the author really let rip and, though never really giving a impartial view in preceding chapters, made plain their personal view of the ruling class and recent governments. I loved the impassioned rant, considering it the best chapter of the book.
August 6, 2018
An important book and an update on the ‘class� thesis that posits the working class in Britain as having experienced rise and fall over the course of a hundred years. Gains in quality of life and financial empowerment under Clement Attlee and through to the 1970s were dismantled under Thatcher, Blair and others resulting in a situation today where an otherwise impeccably liberal interlocutor on Mumsnet justifies her decision to move to another neighbourhood to the anti-intellectualism of ‘white, working class culture� The demonization of ordinary people as the harbingers of Brexit is another generalisation and Todd, an Oxford academic, neatly skewers these viewpoints. As the author is a historian, later portions within the book are less convincing and tend towards the ranty while there is precious no mention at all of sport and football in particular - surely one of the most unifying elements in helping the working class achieve its voice. Perhaps must intriguingly, the book devotes a bit of time to the whole notion of the ‘working class hero� (about which two of my friends once drew metaphorical swords in the pub) and there is analysis of the argument that anyone who has to work is by that very definition working class � this surely rules out everyone bar The Queen these days.
November 16, 2024
Dense and compellingly written. It was stark and depressing how often the ruling class keep using the same arguments hidden by different words over the decades, and the ways in which vested interests keep Britain miserable, but there was also something heartening in the way that people kept and keep fighting. Very worth reading.
November 16, 2021
Highly recommended, get it from the library tho if you can cuz Todd is trans exclusionary.
September 15, 2023
Completely preaching to the choir but by looking at the peaks and troughs of living standards over the last 100 years, this book makes you hopeful that life won’t be this miserable forever!!
August 9, 2020
First the good news - Selina Todd is honestly trying to produce a history of the working class that is long overdue. The frequent use of the voices of people from the working classes is to be welcomed (although I feel she overplays this in places especially the whole story of Viv) and reinforces the view that this is genuine attempt to write a history of and for the working class. There are aspects here that you might not have come across in other histories of the period and the lack of provision (education, welfare and health) for the working class and unemployed through much of the 20th Century is shocking. The book is not entirely uncritical of the working class. There are occasions when the attitudes and actions of the working class and the trade unions that represent them are called into question. However the questioning is rarely deep or prolonged and we're soon back to bemoaning the bosses and backslapping the working man and woman. This brings us on to the bad news.
The authors own biases, along with her habit of shifting the focus of all the aspects of working class history to a feminist perspective spoils what should have been a deeper study of working class history. While a feminist perspective of working class life is important and not to be dismissed it shouldn't dominate in what is ostensibly an over arching history of the working class.
The impact of the change in the structure of Britain's Economy especially the collapse of heavy industry deserves greater analysis and the tendency to blame firmly on the shoulders of the employers for the the demise of manufacturing reflects a level of uncritical bias that calls into question the nature of this history.
The feeling that we are in the area of polemics as opposed to critical history is underscored by the overlong rambling rant that serves as the books afterword. This section is an unfettered millennial call to arms for the masses to join and restructure Britain's society and economy that simply ignores the complexity of International trade relations and a globalised economy. The working classes deserve a more honest and accurate history one that is unafraid to highlight the mistakes and errors that some of their class has made, one that highlights the negative and positive reasoning used by the employers and ruling classes in controlling and curbing their desires and aspirations and finally one that points the way to being able to improve the situation of the working class in a realistic and effective manner. This book is none of those things.
The authors own biases, along with her habit of shifting the focus of all the aspects of working class history to a feminist perspective spoils what should have been a deeper study of working class history. While a feminist perspective of working class life is important and not to be dismissed it shouldn't dominate in what is ostensibly an over arching history of the working class.
The impact of the change in the structure of Britain's Economy especially the collapse of heavy industry deserves greater analysis and the tendency to blame firmly on the shoulders of the employers for the the demise of manufacturing reflects a level of uncritical bias that calls into question the nature of this history.
The feeling that we are in the area of polemics as opposed to critical history is underscored by the overlong rambling rant that serves as the books afterword. This section is an unfettered millennial call to arms for the masses to join and restructure Britain's society and economy that simply ignores the complexity of International trade relations and a globalised economy. The working classes deserve a more honest and accurate history one that is unafraid to highlight the mistakes and errors that some of their class has made, one that highlights the negative and positive reasoning used by the employers and ruling classes in controlling and curbing their desires and aspirations and finally one that points the way to being able to improve the situation of the working class in a realistic and effective manner. This book is none of those things.
June 23, 2017
“There are some who inherit privilege, others who win it through luck or by chance, and then there are the vast majority of people, who have to fight for everything they get.� says Todd at one point in her conclusion. Let’s be honest, for better or for worse, the vast majority of social or political history written about the UK and the 20th Century are written by middle or upper class people who tend to paint a laughably out of touch, or insultingly narrow minded view of the working class, as chirpy salt of the earth types who are fine as long as they know their place and remain thankful for what they have. Often these are the same people who might tell you that class doesn't matter.
Along the lines of the “Forgotten Voices� series, Hall’s “Working Lives� and Kynaston’s seminal “Austerity Britain� much of this has been explored before, but that’s not to say that Todd doesn’t bring something fresh and valuable to the subject, in fact Todd takes a more politically bold approach than most of the others, which makes it all the more refreshing as a result.
We cover many significant events from 1910 onwards, like the general strike and the single minded policies of Stanley Baldwin and his Tory government, heavily influenced by the likes of Lord Rothermere who warned against “the flapper vote folly.� 1929 was the first time women between 21 and 30 could vote, though working class women had to be over 30. Todd reveals the many broken promises after WWI. Now the war was out the way, it was very much business as usual, a number of wage cuts were implemented sending millions deeper into poverty. This was how the working classes were rewarded for their invaluable part in the Great War.
Starting with the great depression and ending in the outbreak of WWII, the hungry thirties were certainly a brutal time in the UK, particularly if you happened to be working class. They weren’t punished for being poor, they were absolutely hammered. Not only were they subjected to dehumanising and draconian forms of means testing, they were routinely blamed and ridiculed for their situation by the very elite who created and profited from the circumstances they had put them in. An ignorant band of white, wealthy elite persisted in criticising the unemployed for their poverty and ill health, insisting that “they help themselves.� Sound familiar?...
If history has taught us anything it’s that if we hear words along the lines of, “We are all in this together.� coming from former public school boys, then we should be very afraid. This very phrase was banded around a lot during the war. Now where have we heard that saying before?...It was quite revealing to see how during the war, in spite of the government and retrospective propaganda, it was very much a case of some animals were more equal than others. “Many Labour Exchange officials conscripted working class mothers into the factories, but readily accepted that servantless middle class women were fully occupied with running their homes.� Todd says that, “It was certainly not an equal society, nor one in which either government or employers wanted to introduce social equality.� She later adds, “This was the people’s war-but the people were certainly not going to achieve equality.� The class divide even extended to rationing, rationing was never applied to restaurants as someone from the Women’s CO-OP guild said, “We have yet to hear of the wholesale dismissal of chefs employed by the upper classes.� The government’s response to bombing was all about doing the bare minimum, preferring to rely on voluntarily organisations. The evacuation policy was an entirely voluntarily scheme too. The middle and upper classes were far more reluctant to play their part, and were often intolerant towards taking in working class children often not helping at all.
When Churchill got booted out after the war, it paved the way for Labour’s game changing reforms, where the likes of Aneurin Bevan introduced the NHS and cradle to grave welfare provision that helped millions to get back on their feet and also enjoy some quality of life, for which many had fought and lost their lives.
It was very interesting to hear of some of the experiences of working class people at grammar school, the common myth that has persisted was that once you got into grammar school that was you pretty much set up for life, but as we see here, this was far from the case. Many complained of not being given the same attention, respect or advice as their middle class peers. Instead their experience actually embellished the class divide, as the elitist mentality was set securely in place.
She makes another good point about the explosion of pop culture in the sixties, as the government and media, both with vested interests, perpetuated the myth of meritocracy, by citing the emergence of people from the working classes being in the spotlight. But many soon became aware of, “The discrepancy between the rhetoric of the post war meritocracy and the meagre rewards that effort and ambition actually brought.� Often people who were far from working class were shoved into the category, like Lennon and McCartney and others. They made a huge, concerted effort to create the misleading impression that the tiny minority of working class breaking through were larger in number, to fool people into believing that the system must be working for everyone, even though the vast majority of the working class were suffering from huge inequality, and poverty still existed throughout the country.
I found the final section particularly fascinating, her analysis on the devastating effects of Thatcherism and Blairism was exceptionally well told. The stats speak for themselves. Thatcher got elected one year on the strength of Britain’s Not Working and yet when she got to power 1 in 10 people were on the dole and in some cases it was well above that up until the early 90s. Also, “Manual workers� vulnerability to sickness and early death increased after 1979 for the first time in sixty years-the result of stress, unemployment and poverty.� In addition to this she tells us that, “In 1997, 4.5 million people of working age lived in households where no one worked. One is six Britons relied on state benefits to survive, a higher proportion than in any other western European country, and three times that of Germany.�
One of the things that was so revealing about this book, was how so much hasn’t really changed in terms of rich v poor. There is more spin around it, but if you dig beneath the surface you will find the same entrenched system. You don’t have to look far or hard to see that the art of ridiculing and blaming the poor for their conditions remains alive and well today. As the Tory government continues its ongoing policy of converting the UK into a low wage, tax haven economy to keep the rich richer, with the enthusiastic backing of the right wing media and tabloids, keeping their tax immune paymasters and shareholders happy. So Todd has produced a highly compelling piece of work and it’s refreshing to see social history written by someone from a relevant background, who isn’t afraid to confront the real issues behind the myths we’re so often lead to believe.
Along the lines of the “Forgotten Voices� series, Hall’s “Working Lives� and Kynaston’s seminal “Austerity Britain� much of this has been explored before, but that’s not to say that Todd doesn’t bring something fresh and valuable to the subject, in fact Todd takes a more politically bold approach than most of the others, which makes it all the more refreshing as a result.
We cover many significant events from 1910 onwards, like the general strike and the single minded policies of Stanley Baldwin and his Tory government, heavily influenced by the likes of Lord Rothermere who warned against “the flapper vote folly.� 1929 was the first time women between 21 and 30 could vote, though working class women had to be over 30. Todd reveals the many broken promises after WWI. Now the war was out the way, it was very much business as usual, a number of wage cuts were implemented sending millions deeper into poverty. This was how the working classes were rewarded for their invaluable part in the Great War.
Starting with the great depression and ending in the outbreak of WWII, the hungry thirties were certainly a brutal time in the UK, particularly if you happened to be working class. They weren’t punished for being poor, they were absolutely hammered. Not only were they subjected to dehumanising and draconian forms of means testing, they were routinely blamed and ridiculed for their situation by the very elite who created and profited from the circumstances they had put them in. An ignorant band of white, wealthy elite persisted in criticising the unemployed for their poverty and ill health, insisting that “they help themselves.� Sound familiar?...
If history has taught us anything it’s that if we hear words along the lines of, “We are all in this together.� coming from former public school boys, then we should be very afraid. This very phrase was banded around a lot during the war. Now where have we heard that saying before?...It was quite revealing to see how during the war, in spite of the government and retrospective propaganda, it was very much a case of some animals were more equal than others. “Many Labour Exchange officials conscripted working class mothers into the factories, but readily accepted that servantless middle class women were fully occupied with running their homes.� Todd says that, “It was certainly not an equal society, nor one in which either government or employers wanted to introduce social equality.� She later adds, “This was the people’s war-but the people were certainly not going to achieve equality.� The class divide even extended to rationing, rationing was never applied to restaurants as someone from the Women’s CO-OP guild said, “We have yet to hear of the wholesale dismissal of chefs employed by the upper classes.� The government’s response to bombing was all about doing the bare minimum, preferring to rely on voluntarily organisations. The evacuation policy was an entirely voluntarily scheme too. The middle and upper classes were far more reluctant to play their part, and were often intolerant towards taking in working class children often not helping at all.
When Churchill got booted out after the war, it paved the way for Labour’s game changing reforms, where the likes of Aneurin Bevan introduced the NHS and cradle to grave welfare provision that helped millions to get back on their feet and also enjoy some quality of life, for which many had fought and lost their lives.
It was very interesting to hear of some of the experiences of working class people at grammar school, the common myth that has persisted was that once you got into grammar school that was you pretty much set up for life, but as we see here, this was far from the case. Many complained of not being given the same attention, respect or advice as their middle class peers. Instead their experience actually embellished the class divide, as the elitist mentality was set securely in place.
She makes another good point about the explosion of pop culture in the sixties, as the government and media, both with vested interests, perpetuated the myth of meritocracy, by citing the emergence of people from the working classes being in the spotlight. But many soon became aware of, “The discrepancy between the rhetoric of the post war meritocracy and the meagre rewards that effort and ambition actually brought.� Often people who were far from working class were shoved into the category, like Lennon and McCartney and others. They made a huge, concerted effort to create the misleading impression that the tiny minority of working class breaking through were larger in number, to fool people into believing that the system must be working for everyone, even though the vast majority of the working class were suffering from huge inequality, and poverty still existed throughout the country.
I found the final section particularly fascinating, her analysis on the devastating effects of Thatcherism and Blairism was exceptionally well told. The stats speak for themselves. Thatcher got elected one year on the strength of Britain’s Not Working and yet when she got to power 1 in 10 people were on the dole and in some cases it was well above that up until the early 90s. Also, “Manual workers� vulnerability to sickness and early death increased after 1979 for the first time in sixty years-the result of stress, unemployment and poverty.� In addition to this she tells us that, “In 1997, 4.5 million people of working age lived in households where no one worked. One is six Britons relied on state benefits to survive, a higher proportion than in any other western European country, and three times that of Germany.�
One of the things that was so revealing about this book, was how so much hasn’t really changed in terms of rich v poor. There is more spin around it, but if you dig beneath the surface you will find the same entrenched system. You don’t have to look far or hard to see that the art of ridiculing and blaming the poor for their conditions remains alive and well today. As the Tory government continues its ongoing policy of converting the UK into a low wage, tax haven economy to keep the rich richer, with the enthusiastic backing of the right wing media and tabloids, keeping their tax immune paymasters and shareholders happy. So Todd has produced a highly compelling piece of work and it’s refreshing to see social history written by someone from a relevant background, who isn’t afraid to confront the real issues behind the myths we’re so often lead to believe.
December 11, 2020
There's a great book to be written about how ordinary people lost must oftheir hard won gains, from the 80s. Also how a window of opportunity to rise socially has been more or less slammed shut. Sadly this isn't that book.
There's a lot of good content and threading through the narrative a story of a famous pools winner, works quite well. It just doesn't make it's points convincingly. Even the pools winners story isn't really brought to a conclusion.
There's too much romanticising of working class culture. The it's all good theme lays it on too thick to convince. It's as if everyone who socially climbed regretted it.
Working class culture was also apparently monolithic. There's a tendency to talk of the working class, rather than classes, which is a basic error. The outlooks of a scraping by lower working class and of an aspirational upper working class have rarely been the same. Yet there is no teasing out of the differences here, which would've made for a fuller exploration of this topic.
There's also a ridiculous tendency to play down helpful measures. Lloyd George's reforms are dismissed as not the NHS to when they were the greatest advance to that date. Labour governments are castigated for not doing everything that unions wanted.
There isn't even an acknowledgement that unions and the working classes have never been the same thing. There's no teasing out of important differences here either.
So, good for some contributions to the overall picture but a pretty skewed view of our shared History.
There's a lot of good content and threading through the narrative a story of a famous pools winner, works quite well. It just doesn't make it's points convincingly. Even the pools winners story isn't really brought to a conclusion.
There's too much romanticising of working class culture. The it's all good theme lays it on too thick to convince. It's as if everyone who socially climbed regretted it.
Working class culture was also apparently monolithic. There's a tendency to talk of the working class, rather than classes, which is a basic error. The outlooks of a scraping by lower working class and of an aspirational upper working class have rarely been the same. Yet there is no teasing out of the differences here, which would've made for a fuller exploration of this topic.
There's also a ridiculous tendency to play down helpful measures. Lloyd George's reforms are dismissed as not the NHS to when they were the greatest advance to that date. Labour governments are castigated for not doing everything that unions wanted.
There isn't even an acknowledgement that unions and the working classes have never been the same thing. There's no teasing out of important differences here either.
So, good for some contributions to the overall picture but a pretty skewed view of our shared History.
December 4, 2018
This is an incredible book, social history at its finest.
Although it is has a clear leftist slant, and some of the conclusions towards the end of the book I could not help but disagree with, it is nontheless an important read, and helps explain why Corbyn (who, mercifully is not mentioned in the book) is now proving to be so popular. The accounts of real people's lives, in particular Viv Nicholson, resonated and personalised the historical phenomena within the chapters.
One point: There were horrendous factual errors in the book that were so blatant that it must have been a printing error (the General Election of 1985?!)
Although it is has a clear leftist slant, and some of the conclusions towards the end of the book I could not help but disagree with, it is nontheless an important read, and helps explain why Corbyn (who, mercifully is not mentioned in the book) is now proving to be so popular. The accounts of real people's lives, in particular Viv Nicholson, resonated and personalised the historical phenomena within the chapters.
One point: There were horrendous factual errors in the book that were so blatant that it must have been a printing error (the General Election of 1985?!)
August 30, 2015
A very good history up to 1989 then it just gets a bit too opinionated. The Afterword is more of the same and an unwelcome addition. I wanted to read this and empathise with the working class, unfortunately it had the opposite effect.
May 11, 2015
Once again. Testimony that inequality is bad for everybody and that the values of the current competition society are crooked and demeaning to the millions, who are cogs in the wheel.
June 12, 2015
READ THIS BOOK
April 28, 2016
Plus ça change, and all that jazz. Good in parts, not sure the brief Viv Nicholson chapters interspersed between much longer chapters added interest, felt a bit out of place.
September 19, 2017
A marvellous book. Every member of the British working class should read this.
January 11, 2019
A must read for anybody who cares about democracy and the way workers rights were formed and gradually eroded during the 20th century. It's meticulously researched and includes personal anecdotes which makes it all the richer. It charts the change in work beginning in 1910 when many people worked as servants in domestic settings with no bargaining power and switched to more lucrative factory work with better conditions and shorter working hours. The author documents the rise of the power of collective change in the form of trade unions and people working together as well as circumstances which forced change in governments thinking, particularly during and after the second world war and how in the 50s and 60s people had great optimism for themselves and their children. I was born in that era and remember very well the optimism and took for granted things like full employment, free education and NHS. But then at the end of the 1970s we saw a change of government and policies and an emphasis on individual rather than collective advancement. Public services and the welfare state were rolled back and have been ever since.
December 8, 2022
I loved this book! There were a few details around d the 1950s in particular that made sense to me to do with Council housing. Understanding that the difference between the red brick solid three bed council semi’s and the concrete non standard construction similar style but poorer quality house was all about Labour v Tory housing policy. I had often wondered why or how this came about. What also rang true for me was the snobbish attitudes of the lower middle classes towards working class people in council estates. My mother was one of those people who would rather suffer in a private rented slum than live on a council estate. Crazy but it is how it was and those attitudes captured so well. Also a tribute to the importance of Trade Unionism in improving and maintaining living standards and how it was all battered by Thatcher and enduring Tory policies against the working class.
December 29, 2017
A welcome history of the working people of Britain. Spoiled in two ways; by letting political slant intrude on objective analysis and by an overlong and unnecessary afterword. I agree absolutely that the term "hardworking families" is so overused by politicians to be both meaningless and invidious. I do not agree that 99% of us work to provide the excess profits that the 1% feed off; that is a naive and emotive statement. I do however agree that greater equality and re-distribution is the key to social justice and imrpoved well being and that in a debt drenched society aniexty about securityof income and employment is debiltating.
July 29, 2021
Really important book to read, demonstrating that the themes we hear from Conservative governments (and sometimes Labour too) have changed little since the 1940s. Using real life experiences told by working class people, Selina Todd weaves them into a larger narrative showing how working class power, via the unions, developed and then declined. But the story is not pessimistic as she ends highlighting the issues that bind us, and the middle class, together differentiating us from the elites. In this, she offers a vision of a way forward to ending the economic inequality which our class system is a measure of.
October 23, 2019
An important book in these current times. This is not just a proud history of the working class but it is a manifesto about the war the people have faught to ensure we have equality, healthcare, rights and benefits and yet now we slate the systems we faught so hard to have. It highlights that in our history not once has capitalism worked for the people or all of us equally and demands a new system than neo liberalism of the haves and haves nots.
It's heavy going and unbelievably detailed but essential and I will continue to call myself working class and be proud of the fact.
It's heavy going and unbelievably detailed but essential and I will continue to call myself working class and be proud of the fact.
January 29, 2018
Very readable, and contains very little that anyone on the Left one could take exception to. Its main faults are that it tends to state the obvious and cover familiar ground, while taking a cavalier attitude to political details and facts (for example, states categorically that the Tories lost all their seats in Scotland in 1987), and to politics in general. It just about works as sociology, but not so well as history or politics
May 29, 2019
An interesting read, made more accessible by the use of testimonies from working class people as to the reality of their lives. Arguably too broad in terms of geographical differences, but that may just be my experience. Some interesting stuff on working class women and immigrants, although I would have liked more in depth analysis of this. Overall, a passionate defence of the people and a call to action, but it’s unlikely that it’ll change any deeply held beliefs.
March 26, 2021
A compelling and vivid account of working class history throughout the 20th century. Deciding to turn a blind eye on the controversies around Selina Todd, this book is actually a must read, wether you're an academic or have any interest in history and class. The writer uses substantial amount of working clas autobiographies and oral history to illustrate her argument, and she's at her best when trying to define what characterises the working class today.
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