ABSTRACT
This chapter is concerned with a short period, but the Second World War is seen by most historians as the defining moment in Britain’s twentieth century history and therefore needs quite a lot of serious scrutiny. Of course, the fact that Britain very nearly lost the war, yet managed to emerge victorious in 1945 deserves some detailed analysis. Yet, in many ways, the fact of survival was not the most important impact of the war, at least not in the longer term. The changes in attitude created by the war, attitudes towards society, towards the economy, towards politics itself and to some extent towards Britain’s role in the world, were the most profound that Britain had encountered for centuries. British life was affected by memories of Britain’s wartime experiences for the rest of the twentieth century, and, as the huge celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of VE Day in 1995 demonstrated, even those born long after the end of the war, grew up with the sense that this was an event of huge and lasting significance.
