History in Our Time

Why did the royal family become dysfunctional? How did the House of Windsor amass so much wealth? In this entertaining and thought-provoking collection David Cannadine answers these questions and more, offering dazzling brief overviews of topics ranging from class to divorce, privacy to patriotism, the rise and fall of Empire, and the absurd cult of Victorian Values. Brilliantly dissecting the continuing crises of the British monarchy, he reveals how even the most exceptional figures-Churchill and Mosely, Thatcher and Princess Diana-can only be understood in their full historical context. Cannadine skillfully brings the past to life, using it to illuminate the present.