HI 218

Modern Britain 1688 to Present

The last three hundred years have witnessed Great Britain’s rise to become the world’s first and pre-eminent industrial nation and its eventual relative decline, the growth and dissolution of its empire and, more recently, its flirtation with, and retreat from, European integration. In addition to accounting for the growth and decline of Britain’s industrial and imperial hegemony, this course will also examine such topics as the culture and politics of class, gender and identity; the rise of Parliament; the reform era; the impact of war on British society; the welfare state; post-colonialism and immigration; Thatcherism; and the popular culture of post-war Britain.