Introduction: the Fall and Rise of a Reputation
Harold Wilson’s Labour party came to power in October 1964 with a pledge to modernise Britain. ‘Modernisation’ was the omnibus phrase that he used in each and every area of policy, from the shape of the economy to Britain’s military commitments abroad. The idea was not limited to his famous speech at Labour’s 1963 Conference in Scarborough, in which he invoked the ‘white heat’ of the ‘technological revolution’. It was, rather, a constant theme in Labour’s appeal to the electorate. Science and the Future of Britain, Labour’s 1961 statement of aims in that field, set out new ways to achieve ‘the expansion and modernisation of our industries’. As chairman of the Science and Industry group of the National Executive Committee, Wilson was intimately concerned with that pamphlet, and with bringing scientists and other experts into the policy-making process. In his very first meeting with the TUC after becoming prime minister, he told trade union leaders that ‘modernisation and the National Plan’ were his priorities. Harold Wilson also emphasised modernity in foreign policy. Following the Conservatives’ failure to enter the European Community, Wilson encouraged the Labour party to view Commonwealth regeneration as an alternative. Genuinely committed to the strengthening of Commonwealth links, Wilson maintained that Britain’s international role would be best served by assisting the world’s poorest nations. The Commonwealth offered Britain leadership and influence and the moral dignity of assisting a diverse, underdeveloped and multi-racial grouping. In defence policy also, the Labour government would seek to bring stability to underdeveloped
Britannia Overruled: British Policy and World Power in the Twentieth Century
This contentious reinterpretation of British decline since the 1890s brings together the often separated topics of diplomacy, defence and economics. A new chapter considers Britain's fortunes in the post-Thatcher period.
Post-War Britain: A Political History
The General Election of 1945 the Labour government, 1945 the Labour government, 1950-51 the Churchill government, 1951-5 Eden's premiership, 1955-7 the start of the Macmillan era, 1957-4 the Conservative anti-climax, 1959-64 the Labour government, 1964-6 the Labour government, 1966-70 the politics of confrontation - the Heath government 1970-74 the return of Harold Wilson, 1974-6 the Callaghan administration, 1976-9 the first Thatcher government, 1979-83 the second Thatcher government, 1983-7 from Thatcher to Major, 1987-92.