Introduction

The average Briton of 1870 was almost certainly wealthier than the ordinary citizen of every other country at that moment in history. His descendants in the 1980s were incomparably richer than he had been. Gross domestic product per person (adjusted for inflation) increased more than threefold just between 1900 and 1984. The accompanying rise in disposable income allowed the ordinary British household to purchase a more extensive and more varied array of goods and services.