Martin Pugh was Professor of British History at Newcastle University, UK and Research Professor in History at Liverpool John Moores University, UK. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, a member of the advisory panel of the BBC History Magazine, and the author of over twelve books on nineteenth- and twentieth-century history. His previous publications include Women and the Women's Movement in Britain 1914-1959, A Companion to Modern European History 1871-1945, The Pankhursts: The History of One Radical Family, Speak for Britain: A New History of the Labour Party and We Danced All Night: A Social History of Britain Between the Wars.

• List of IllustrationsList of Tables and FiguresPrefacePart I: The Loss of Confidence, 1870–19021. The Retreat of the Industrial RevolutionThe beginnings of decline?Britain and free tradeThe banks and the question of investmentThe problem of entrepreneurshipIndustrialization in perspective2. Not Quite a DemocracyThe system of governmentGladstone and Victorian LiberalismThe impact of parliamentary reformThe Conservative revival under Disraeli and SalisburySocialism and the rise of the Labour Movement3. The Victorian State and its PeopleThe rising standard of livingThe persistence of mass povertyPopular attitudes towards the state and self-helpThe growth of local governmentIdeas and experiments in social welfare4. Victorian Values: Myth and RealityThe expansion of the stateThe angel in the houseMarriage and the familyPopulation and sexFirst-wave feminismVictorian indulgencesWork, leisure and improvement5. British National Identity: Unity and DivisionThe Union with ScotlandThe integration of Wales with BritainIreland: the threat to the UnionReligion and national identityMigration and immigrationMonarchy and national identityThe Victorian class struggle6. Isolation and ExpansionThe defence of the realmThe new imperialismWas the Empire popular?British militarismPart II: The Reorientation: The Emergence of the Interventionist State, 1902–187. The State, Social Welfare and the EconomyLiberal social reformPopular attitudes to state welfareThe taxation revolutionThe state and the economy8. The Liberal–Labour AllianceThe politics of the People’s BudgetThe Conservative dilemmaLabour’s turning-point9. Crisis and Controversy in Edwardian BritainClass struggle and class collaborationThe challenge of feminismThe Irish QuestionPlans for warAn ungovernable society?10. Politics and Society in the Great WarThe Continental commitmentState intervention in the economyCoalition politicsSocial reconstructionThe Lost GenerationMass war and popular participationPart III: The Period of Confusion: Collectivism versus Capitalism, 1918–4011. The Failure of Laissez-faireThe legacy of warThe return to goldUnemploymentCapitalism, Socialism and KeynesianismEconomic recovery in the 1930s12. Mass Democracy in an Age of DeclineNational identity between the warsStructural changes in politicsThe first Labour governmentThe General Strike and the 1929 electionThe National GovernmentsThe Labour revival, 1935–9Why was Britain so stable?The challenge of British fascism13. The Era of DomesticityThe rising standard of livingThe housing revolutionLeisure and consumerismWomen, family and marriageSocial welfare and income distribution14. Imperial Climax and DeclineDefence and disarmamentPopular opposition to warThe Empire and nationalismAppeasement and rearmamentPart IV: Consensus: The Age of the Benign State, 1940–7015. The People’s WarBreaking the mouldMass war and social changeThe origins of the post-war consensusThe collapse of British power1945: the Labour landslide16. The Keynesian EraPlanning and the mixed economyThe welfare stateThe politics of consensusThe affluent societyAdjusting to declineChallenges to the political system17. The Permissive SocietyLiberal reformThe family and marriageLimited emancipation for womenThe rise of an educated societyThe reactionRace and immigration18. The Loss of Great Power StatusCold War defenceDecolonizationReluctantly into EuropePart V The Era of Reaction and Decline, 1970–202019. The Breakdown of the Post-war Consensus, 1970–9Heath and the crisis of ConservatismMulti-party politicsThe decline of LabourThe origins of Thatcherism20. The Era of ThatcherismMonetarism and depressionDelusions of grandeurBreaking the mould of politicsThe growth of poverty and inequalityRolling back the statePresidential government and the limited revolutionThe crisis over Europe21. New Labour and the Blair EraContinuity or change?Social and political reformThe British presidencyChanges in the political systemThe Iraq War and the attack on civil libertiesThe crisis of national identity22. Crisis and CoalitionThe banking crisis and economic recession, 2007–15The coalition eraThe growth of poverty and inequalityNational disunity23 Brexit and the PandemicTheresa May’s GovernmentWhy Did the Public Change Its Mind about Brexit?The Impact of BrexitThe Premiership of Boris JohnsonWhy Did Britain Fail to Manage the Pandemic ?What Was the Impact of the Pandemic ?2021: The Dual CrisisIndex

Martin Pugh’s State and Society has become something of a classic of its type: its punchy, provocative prose makes it the first book on any list of recommendations to students new to studying British political history.