From Anger to Apathy: The British Experience Since 1975

In 1975, a Labor government with a wafer-thin majority was struggling in vain against rampant inflation. Trade union officials seemed more powerful than the politicians who had been elected through the democratic process, while Londoners considered themselves to be on the front line of a terrorist campaign which originated in Northern Ireland. Behind all this lay a fear of a devastating nuclear war that could break out at any time whether or not a majority of British people agreed with the cause of conflict. More than 30 years later, it is easy to see why commentators thought that Britain was becoming ungovernable” in the mid-1970s. Yet evidence suggests that the British people were happier in those days than they have been in the early years of the 21st century, as well as much more inclined to cast votes in general elections. During the 1980s Britain was certainly affected by the Thatcherite,” consumerist ethos. But on closer inspection, it turns out that Britons are just as angry” today as they were in 1975, if not more so. In this groundbreaking book, Mark Garnett charts the changes in British politics, society, and culture since 1975. This volume breaks with the traditional approach to history by addressing the reaction to change through themes like lust, greed, fear, and charity, while at the same time retaining a sense of chronological progression.