From a leading British historian, the story of how fear of war shaped modern England
By the end of World War I, Britain had become a laboratory for modernity. Intellectuals, politicians, scientists, and artists?among them Arnold Toynbee, Aldous Huxley, and H. G. Wells?sought a vision for a rapidly changing world. Coloring their innovative ideas and concepts, from eugenics to Freud?s unconscious, was a creeping fear that the West was staring down the end of civilization.
In their home country of Britain, many of these fears were unfounded. The country had not suffered from economic collapse, occupation, civil war, or any of the ideological conflicts of inter-war Europe. Nevertheless, the modern era?s promise of progress was overshadowed by a looming sense of decay and death that would deeply influence creative production and public argument between the wars.
In The Twilight Years , award-winning historian Richard Overy examines the paradox of this period and argues that the coming of World War II was almost welcomed by Britain?s leading thinkers, who saw it as an extraordinary test for the survival of civilization? and a way of resolving their contradictory fears and hopes about the future.

The Morbid Years: Britain Between the Wars

Morbid age

Overy, Richard

Overy, R. J

Viking Children's Books

New York, N.Y.: Viking

Ladybird Books Ltd

Puffin Books

1st American ed., New York, N.Y, New York State, 2009

United Kingdom and Ireland, United Kingdom

United States, United States of America

New York ; aondon, 2010

New York, 2010, ©2009

Reprint, 2010

Nov 30, 2010

PT, 2009

Source title: The Twilight Years: The Paradox of Britain Between the Wars

Originally published: The morbid age. London : Allen Lane, 2009.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 385-500) and index.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

<p><p><b>thought-provoking And Illuminating...overy's Study Of British Culture Between The Wars Is Absorbing And Unexpectedly Moving. <br> -<i>the New York Times Book Review</i> </b> <p>original, Entertaining, And Ever-surprising, <i>the Twilight Years</i> Tells The Story Of How An Abiding Fear Of War Influenced English Life In The Aftermath Of World War I. Britain Had Become A Laboratory For Modern Thought And Experimentations, From Eugenics To Freud's Unconscious. And Drawing Upon These Innovative Ideas And Concepts, Intellectuals, Politicians, Scientists, And Artists-among Them Arnold Toynbee, Aldous Huxley, And H.g. Wells-grappled With A Creeping Fear That The West Was Staring Down The End Of Civilization. <i>the Twilight Years</i> Speaks To The Frightening Power Of Ideas In A Rapidly Changing World.</p> <h3>the New York Times - Alex Von Tunzelmann</h3> <p>in <i>the Twilight Years,</i> His Thought-provoking And Illuminating New Study Of The Interwar Period, Richard Overy Contends That Before 1914 The British Believed They Had Conquered The World And Would Rule It Forever. After World War I, A Wrecked Generation Had To Pick Up The Pieces Of That World And Ask What Went Wrong. It Is This Process That Occupies The Book, Which Successfully Adopts A Broad-brush Approach To Cultural Life Without Obscuring Gemlike Details&#8230;overy's Study Of British Culture Between The Wars Is Absorbing And Unexpectedly Moving. Some Of Its Stories May Haunt The Reader Long After The Book Has Been Closed, And Not Just The Morbid Ones.</p>

xxi, 521 pages : 24 cm
By the end of World War I, Britain had become a laboratory for modernity. Intellectuals, politicians, scientists, and artists--among them Arnold Toynbee, Aldous Huxley, and H.G. Wells--sought a vision for a rapidly changing world. Coloring their innovative ideas and concepts, from eugenics to Freud's unconscious, was a creeping fear that the West was staring down the end of civilization. In their home country of Britain, many of these fears were unfounded. The country had not suffered from economic collapse, occupation, civil war, or any of the ideological conflicts of inter-war Europe. Nevertheless, the modern era's promise of progress was overshadowed by a looming sense of decay and death that would deeply influence creative production and public argument between the wars.--From publisher description
Originally published: The morbid age. London : Allen Lane, 2009
Includes bibliographical references (pages 385-500) and index
Preface -- Britain 1919-1939: A chronological introduction -- Introduction: Cassandras and Jeremiahs -- Decline and fall -- The death of capitalism -- A sickness in the racial body -- Medicine and poison : psychoanalysis and social dismay -- Why war? -- Challenge to death -- Utopian politics : cure or disease? -- "The voyage of the death ship" : war and the fate of the world -- A morbid age

By The End Of World War I, Britain Had Become A Laboratory For Modernity. Intellectuals, Politicians, Scientists, And Artists--among Them Arnold Toynbee, Aldous Huxley, And H.g. Wells--sought A Vision For A Rapidly Changing World. Coloring Their Innovative Ideas And Concepts, From Eugenics To Freud's Unconscious, Was A Creeping Fear That The West Was Staring Down The End Of Civilization. In Their Home Country Of Britain, Many Of These Fears Were Unfounded. The Country Had Not Suffered From Economic Collapse, Occupation, Civil War, Or Any Of The Ideological Conflicts Of Inter-war Europe. Nevertheless, The Modern Era's Promise Of Progress Was Overshadowed By A Looming Sense Of Decay And Death That Would Deeply Influence Creative Production And Public Argument Between The Wars.--from Publisher Description. Cassandras And Jeremiahs -- Decline And Fall -- The Death Of Capitalism -- A Sickness In The Racial Body -- Medicine And Poison : Psychoanalysis And Social Dismay -- Why War? -- Challenge To Death -- Utopian Politics : Cure Or Disease? -- The Voyage Of The Death Ship : War And The Fate Of The World -- A Morbid Age. Richard Overy. Originally Published: The Morbid Age. London : Allen Lane, 2009. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 385-500) And Index.

Argues that Europeans viewed the social and scientific progress following World War I with excitement and trepidation, and that the challenges of World War II were, in a way, welcomed as a clear way of resolving the unknown future.

2023-06-28