Our People's War : Home Intelligence Reports and the Monitoring of British Morale, June 1941-December 1944 / edited by Jeremy A. Crang.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Crang, Jeremy, editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Great Britain--Social life and customs--1918-1945.

Great Britain.

Morale.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (801 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Distribution:

London : Bloomsbury Publishing (UK), 2024.

Place of Publication:

London : Bloomsbury Academic, 2024.

System Details:

text file HTML

Summary:

What was the mood of the British people during the middle and later years of the Second World War? How did they react to the major military and domestic events of the period? What issues were uppermost in their minds? What incidents caused particular public interest and controversy? These are some of the insights provided by this remarkable collection of contemporary wartime documents. During the Second World War, Home Intelligence, a unit of the Ministry of Information, closely monitored British public attitudes on the home front and compiled secret reports on the state of popular morale which were circulated around Whitehall. In this volume, leading historian of the period, Jeremy Crang, brings together selected Home Intelligence reports from June 1941 to December 1944 to offer us a fascinating 'real time' glimpse into the mindset of the British people during these long years of struggle. The reports provide a unique window into public responses to the shifting military fortunes of the war, including the German invasion of the Soviet Union, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the British and Commonwealth victory at El Alamein, the strategic bombing of Germany, the defeat of Italy, and the Allied landings in Normandy. They also include much valuable information on the continuing stresses and strains of wartime life such as the blackout, rationing, fuel economy and strikes - as well as the V-weapon attacks of 1944 which brought back all the horrors of the Blitz. Alongside this, hopes and fears about the post-war world come to feature strongly and Home Intelligence carefully documented attitudes to the Beveridge report, as well as other aspects of reconstruction. Introduced by the editor, and incorporating an extensive glossary, this collection is an exceptional record of popular opinion on the British home front as the tide of war gradually turned from defeat to victory. It is indispensable in understanding both the unity and diversity of wartime Britain, as well as the many-sided experience of living through 'Our People's War'.

Contents:

Acknowledgements List of figures Map: Ministry of Information Regions, 1941 Introduction I. June to December 1941 II. January to December 1942 III. January to December 1943 IV. January to December 1944 V. Special reports List of abbreviations Glossary Index

Notes:

Includes index.

ISBN:

9781350335042

1350335045

9781350353596

1350353590

9781350335035

1350335037

OCLC:

1451805747