Now established as a classic, this masterly and illuminating account of political history in Britain from 1945 has been updated to include the events of recent years.

The facts are there, set out clearly and chronologically, not to be read with joy but to be consulted with confidence - Roy Hattersley in the Guardian

Alan Sked and Chris Cook bring into focus the major figures of the political scene - Churchill, Eden, Wilson, Heath, Callaghan, Thatcher and Major - and the aims and achievements of the post-war governments, as well as the changing fortunes of Britain in relation to the rest of the world. Until 1963, the authors argue, Britain was still considered a world power. As a result, foreign policy was often given high priority by British leaders, and Britain's world role affected many aspects of its domestic policy and had important consequences for other states. From 1963 to 1979, however, set-'backs and failures marked its policies, with the result that the very fabric of political life - the party system, the voting system and political institutions - came under attack and British governments lost authority, both at home and abroad. The Thatcher years have seen a continuation, for the most part, of Britain's decline. The authors assess the period of Thatcher's rule and the events leading to her downfall in a new chapter, which also examines the government of John Major and the state of the opposition parties in the face of the longest recession in post-war British history.

Introduction and Acknowledgements 

1 The General Election of 1945 

2 The Labour Government, 1945-50 

3 The Labour Government, 1950-51 

4 The Churchill Government, 1951-5 

5 Eden's Premiership, 1955-7 

6 The Start of the Macmillan Era, 1957-9 

7 The Conservative Anti-Climax, 1959-64 

8 The Labour Government, 1964-6 

9 The Labour Government, 1966-70 

10 The Politics of Confrontation: The Heath Government,1970-74 

11 The Return of I-Iarold Wilson, 1974--6 

12 The Callaghan Administration, 1976-9 

13 The First Thatcher Government, 1979-83 

14 The Second Thatcher Government, 1983-7 

15 From Thatcher to Major, 1987-92 

Bibliographical Note 

Index