The rise and fall of class in Britain
By: David Cannadine.
Series: University seminars/Leonard Hastings Schoff memorial lectures
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Published: 1999
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 293
Subjects: Social classes -- Great Britain.; Social mobility -- Great Britain.
Description: Encompassing social, intellectual, and political history, Cannadine uncovers the meanings of class from Adam Smith to Karl Marx to Margaret Thatcher, showing the key moments in which thinking about class shifted, such as the aftermath of the French Revolution and the rise of the Labour Party in the early twentieth century.

He cogently argues that Marxist attempts to view history in terms of class struggle are often as oversimplified as conservative approaches that deny the central place of class in British life. In conclusion, Cannadine considers whether it is possible or desirable to create a "classless society," a pledge made by John Major that has continued to resonate even after the conservative defeat. Until we know what class really means - and has meant - to the British, we cannot seriously address these questions.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [197]-274) and index.