Seeking book suggestion: societal change

[mousethief]

I've read about this around the edges of other books I've read on the Great War, but not found one that addresses it frontally: I would like to find a book that goes into depth on the changes that arose in society/culture in the UK/USA due to the war (Fussell suggests the widespread use of paper money in the UK, for instance). Are there any such? Some better than others?

Sorry if there's already a thread on this; 62 pages is a lot to slog through.

[Bernard_Lewis]

Haven't read it but you might find 'After the Deluge' by - from memory - Arthur Marwick good for the effect on the UK.

Bernard

[Karl Murphy]

Haven't read it but you might find 'After the Deluge' by - from memory - Arthur Marwick good for the effect on the UK.

Bernard

A. J. P. Taylor's English History 1914-1945 (1965) IIRC has a few chapters on WWI that contain a lot of useful info on the Home Front.

[Martin Bennitt]

Haven't read it but you might find 'After the Deluge' by - from memory - Arthur Marwick good for the effect on the UK.

Bernard

It was just 'The Deluge', and it was a good book, but he wrote others. Extract from Guardian obituary:

For many years his main work was on the relationship between war and social change, the subject of his most successful and seminal book, The Deluge (1965), a study of British society in the first world war. He expanded his interest in the field of war and society in a study - not just of Britain's experience, but of those of European nations and the US during the world wars - War and Social Change in the Twentieth Century (1974).

You might also try 'The Rite of Spring' by Modrus Ecksteins, which at least one other Pal is currently reading. A search on the Forum will find the thread

cheers Martin B

[Bernard_Lewis]

Thanks for the correction. Anyone got some spare memory I can borrow?

Bernard

[Chris Martin]

I'm not sure of the U.S. Context but for the British you might want to look at, as has been suggested, Marwick's "The Deluge." Also J.M. Winter's "The Great War and the British People." Related to British and American studies on the war's effect is Johnathan Vance's "Death So Noble" on the memory and comemeration of the war in Canadain Society.

Chris

[Chris Martin]

For a few more on how the British were affected by the war you can have a look at:

F.W. Hirst's "The Consiquences of the War to Great Britain"

A. Marwick's "Britain in the Century of Total War: War, Peace and Social Change 1900-1967"

Keith Middlemas' "Politics in Industrial Society: The Experience of the British System since 1911"

K. Burk (ed.) "War and the State: The Transformation of British Government 1914-19"

Gail Braybon's "Women Workers in the First World War: The British Experience"

Bernard Waites' "A Class Society at War: England 1914-18"

John Turner (ed.) "Britain and the First World War"

A.H. Halsey (ed.) "Trends in Modern British Society"

Chris

[mousethief]

Wow, thanks everybody! I think I will look up "The Deluge" first and see what I find. Thanks again!

(I wonder if I'm in a tiny minority here being from the States? Over here the Great War is almost completely forgotten; the Korean War takes up more shelf space in most bookstores/bookshops.)

[Dan Morton]

Alex: You're absolutely right for most US cities. Once in awhile I'm lucky in used book stores in bigger cities. I found a copy of Canfield's US infantry weapons of WWI in a used book store for $10.00. Perfect condition. Mostly I shop online via Amazon, Abebooks, and Bookfinder.com. All good sites, but you have to have some idea what you are looking for. I take a keen interest in the GWF book reviews and have bought several books on the strength of recommendations of members. But you also really have to read the online reviews and judge for yourself. Amazon has several good Great War book lists.

All the best,

Dan

[mousethief]

Thanks again everybody. I found a copy of The Deluge on Abebooks for $1 ($5 with shipping) and am looking forward to reading it soon!