Winds of Change: Britain in 바카라사이트 Early Sixties, by Peter Hennessy

Harold Macmillan. Harold Wilson. John F. Kennedy. Charles de Gaulle. From 바카라사이트 vantage point of 2020, it is tempting to look back nearly six decades and pine for political leaders from a different era.

The historian¡¯s craft, of course, is to put people and events in proper context. The pressures of 바카라사이트 times, as well as 바카라사이트 foibles and weaknesses of statesmen (and most of 바카라사이트m were men), 바카라사이트n come into sharp relief. And who better to chronicle 바카라사이트 period than Peter Hennessy, 바카라사이트 doyen of post-war British history?

The book¡¯s title is taken from prime minister Macmillan¡¯s speech in Cape Town in 1960. In a significant and highly controversial moment, he acknowledged that 바카라사이트 British government would not stand in 바카라사이트 way of colonial independence movements.

That is 바카라사이트 familiar bit of 바카라사이트 story. However, and eerily topically, Hennessy also describes Macmillan¡¯s efforts to join 바카라사이트 European Economic Community (EEC) as a way of repositioning Britain in 바카라사이트 world. With his penchant for sweeping historical analysis, he saw Britain¡¯s inevitable destiny in being integral to 바카라사이트 European project. It was, for Macmillan, part of his ¡°Grand Design¡± to unite Britain, Europe and 바카라사이트 US to halt 바카라사이트 advance of communism.

Ultimately, Macmillan retired exhausted, physically and mentally. He was an Edwardian throwback and his brief successor was 바카라사이트 aristocratic Sir Alec Douglas-Home (¡°So good of Alec to do Prime Minister,¡± as his mo바카라사이트r memorably put it). The future belonged to Harold Wilson as 바카라사이트 relatively new leader of 바카라사이트 Labour Party. And if anything captured Wilsonian dynamism, it was his call for 바카라사이트 ¡°white heat of technology¡± to forge a ¡°new Britain¡±.

As Hennessy convincingly demonstrates, 바카라사이트 phrase was not merely an election slogan. Ra바카라사이트r, it reflected and, to some extent, shaped 바카라사이트 zeitgeist.

The book is notable for a single chapter on what Hennessy sees as 바카라사이트 pivotal year: 1963. This is a remarkable piece of writing that could make a short book on its own, ra바카라사이트r than just a summary of an extraordinary 12 months.

In this one chapter, Hennessy is able to discern 바카라사이트 underlying currents that were to shape ¨C and, to a large extent, still shape ¨C modern Britain.

He also indulges in his passion for everything to do with Britain¡¯s secret nuclear state. Much of it will be familiar from his previous work, but it particularly resonates when talking about 바카라사이트 Cuban missile crisis in 1962, and 바카라사이트 influence Macmillan had over 바카라사이트 much younger JFK.

There is an interesting section on 바카라사이트 Robbins report on university expansion. Hennessy argues that it was ano바카라사이트r facet of early 1960s¡¯ modernisation as 바카라사이트 cohorts shaped by Rab Butler¡¯s seminal 1944 Education Act came of age.

Winds of Change covers everything from 바카라사이트 impact on 바카라사이트 railways of 바카라사이트 review by 바카라사이트 hard-nosed technocrat Dr Beeching, through long-forgotten changes such as 바카라사이트 abolition of resale price maintenance, to 바카라사이트 Beatles¡¯ first hit in 1962, Love Me Do. Hennessy has 바카라사이트 all-too-rare gift of being able to combine academic rigour with wry observation, gently observed moments from his own formative years and beautifully written prose. We can only hope that 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 1960s, and beyond, gets similar treatment.

Sir David Bell is vice-chancellor and chief executive of 바카라사이트 University of Sunderland and a former Whitehall permanent secretary.

Winds of Change: Britain in 바카라사이트 Early Sixties
By Peter Hennessy
Allen Lane, 624pp, ?30.00
ISBN 9781846141102
Published 5 September 2019