Beginning on August 4, 1914, the day Britain entered the Great War, this book guides us through three decades of unparalleled upheaval and change in Britain that eventually lead to the defeat of Japan in 1945--a momentous event that marked the end of the Second World War. Twin themes of international conflict and mass unemployment in England predominate. And besides a full account of foreign and domestic politics that were enacted to deal with them, Taylor pays particular attention to the impact of events on everyday lives. It is an essential work from one of the finest historians of the twentieth century--a book that no one interested in British affairs will want to be without.