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A History of Modern Britain
- Narrated by: Andrew Marr
- Length: 7 hrs and 10 mins
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A History of Modern Britain
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Summary
Nominated for the British Book Awards, Popular Non-Fiction Award, 2008.
Shortlisted for the Audiobook Download of the Year, 2007.
A History of Modern Britain confronts head-on the victory of shopping over politics. It tells the story of how the great political visions of New Jerusalem or a second Elizabethan Age - rival idealisms - came to be defeated by a culture of consumerism, celebrity, and self-gratification. In each decade, political leaders have thought they knew what they were doing, but found themselves confounded. Every time, the British people turn out to be stroppier and harder to herd than predicted.
Throughout this audiobook, Britain is a country on the edge: first of invasion, then of bankruptcy, then on the vulnerable front line of the Cold War, and later in the forefront of the great opening up of capital and migration now reshaping the world. This history follows all the political and economic stories, but deals too with comedy, cars, the war against homosexuals, '60s anarchists, oil-men and punks, Margaret Thatcher's wonderful good luck, political lies, and the true heroes of British theatre.
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Critic reviews
"There is time for much deeper analysis and characterisation in the straightforward narration of the audiobook... Marr delivers it himself, using all his impressive skills as a commentator... It is easy and stimulating listening with lots of deft phrases." ( The Times)
"I love his wit, his anecdotes and his old hack's shop talk. Why wasn't I taught politics like this?"( Guardian)
What listeners say about A History of Modern Britain
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Miss
- 23-12-12
Idiots guide
I downloaded this book after watching the excellent TV series 'Andrew Marr's History of the World' and was not disappointed. I would definitely recommend it for anyone who enjoyed the TV show. The narration is great - keeps you interested. I feel like i've learnt a lot about politics in Britain since the war - a very interesting listen.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Dazler
- 12-07-15
Excellent
Any additional comments?
Although not quite as good as his other book - looking at Britain from the end of The Second World War up until the present day - this audio book is brilliant and insightful.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sophie
- 20-06-15
Amazing!
Listened whilst travelling South America as a little reminder of home, it's fantastic. Makes you laugh in parts and think about things you'd never considered in others. Worth a listen.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mike
- 09-05-23
A great summary of modern Britain
Andrew Marr is a great narrator and this excellent Audible book gives a great summary of modern Britain since Churchill to present day; albeit a little depressing as we clearly move from Great Britain to Little Britain.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Sophisticate
- 04-03-09
GUARDIANESQUE HISTORIAN OF BRITAIN
If you want to understand the standard middle class metropolitan view of British history written by an Alastair Campbell who managed to stay awake during his time at Cambridge University this is it, and very good too. It is well-delivered standard view of the second half of the twentieth century seen through this reformed communist's lens that never deviates from the standard script: the NHS - not a theft from local communities already serving the people and transforming it into a burocracy with increasingly little to do with healthcare, an smug assault on the First and Second World War survivors found "embarrassing" when Marr was growing up, and the world reduced to a hippyish 1968 Weltanschauung - the USA (bad) v the rest (the unexplained alternative we never took, Britain hideously white and Thatcher not believing in society rather than Thatcher believing in individuals. Despite the barely suppressed desire for a secular Orwellian tolerant British collectivism, this history repays a listen and gives a lucid portrait of why Britain is how it is now: a mixture of turbo-statism hitched to turbo-capitalism, the latter funding the former and dring the morals an elitist statist Kleptocracy
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Richard
- 16-01-11
Outstanding
Subtley different from the book but still excellent. Very well delivered and packed with fascinating insights. The Suez Crisis section is particularly enlightening.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Tom
- 01-11-07
I have chosen well
Well read, well written, funny and interesting. Not a big fan of history in general, thought I'd take a chance and am very pleased.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Nigel
- 02-09-08
how we got here!
Far from being a dry chronological history, the book is delivered in Andrews normal lively and enthusiastic style. I now undrstand the complexaties which make today, today. It also shakes your belief in those you think know better. On the whole a wonderfully entertaining and skillfully told history. If you like Andrew, you'll love this.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- G
- 16-07-16
Well worth a listen now.
After the Brexit and the incredible changes in the BBC, it is quite refreshing to listen to a Andrew Marr vision of modern Britain before the establishment (or rather the Torys befriended with Murdoch ) absorbed the BBC and made it another part of its propaganda. I thoroughly enjoyed the narrative and learnt a few things about the country I'm calling home now.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Ybunny
- 13-01-09
a fantastic book
I've only really had a passing intrest in pollotics, so it's quite an achivment for this book to gave me a good grasp of major events which has shaped Britian to what it is today, and to do it in a way that was easy to follow and keep it enjoyable.
A superb book, well writen and informative. Easy to follow and listen to.
I would recommend this book to anyone that has even a passing intrest in pollotics of Britian.
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