British history: The rise and fall of the postwar consensus 1945-75
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- Start Date: 20 Sep 2025End Date: 20 Sep 2025Sat (Daytime): 10:30 - 16:30In PersonFull fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00
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What is the course about?
The course will explore successive governments’ Keynesian economic policies including, nationalisation, full employment and relations with trade unions, the NHS and welfare state, expansion of council housing and state education, social reform and individual rights, and closer cooperation with Europe. It will also explore the extent to which there was continuity or change in the policies of Labour and Conservative governments, and whether this period can be described as a ‘postwar consensus’.
What will we cover?
The impact and legacy of WW2 on Britain’s economy and society
Attlee’s Labour Government 1945-51 and the establishment of the postwar consensus
Continuity and change during the Conservative Governments 1951-64
The ‘white heat of technological revolution’ and the postwar consensus 1964-70
The unravelling of the postwar consensus 1970-75
Continuity and change 1945-75: a postwar consensus?
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
Knowledge and understanding of key political, economic and social developments 1945-75
Critically reflect on continuity and change in economic policy
Critically reflect on continuity and change in social policy
Critically reflect on Britain’s relations with Europe and the postwar consensus
Critically reflect on the legacy and whether or not there was a postwar consensus.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
An outline course; no previous knowledge required.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
The course will be delivered through a mixture of formal tutor input and discussion with student participation
encouraged.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
Pen and paper for any voluntary note taking. Below is an optional reading list:
J Black A History of Britain: 1945 to Brexit
KO Morgan Twentieth-Century Britain: A Very Short Introducti.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
HBH112 The Winter of Discontent 1978-79: myth and reality.
David has over twenty years’ experience in secondary schools and higher education. He holds a degree in Economics and History and a MA in History from Oxford Brookes University and has been an active member of the Historical Association (HA) and was recently a member of the People of 1381 Teacher Fellowship programme. He has also presented at history education conferences in Europe and the USA. His specific area of teaching expertise is post-1945 British political, economic, and social history particularly the 1978-79 Winter of Discontent and the Thatcher governments 1979-1990 but he teaches beyond these topics: British history 1603-1997; Russian history 1881-1990; American history 1865-2008, particularly the struggle for black equality; the use of popular music in history learning; and medicine history, c.1300 to the present day; and migration c. 1700 to the present day. David spends his spare time tending an unruly allotment, purveying homemade jam, and listening to Northern Soul music.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.