Paul Addison was a British author and historian, specializing in the British experience in the Second World War and its effects on post-war society. His works delve deeply into how wartime events shaped British identity and societal shifts, analyzing key moments and figures that influenced the nation's trajectory. Addison's approach is distinguished by meticulous research and a profound insight into the national psyche during a period of transformation.
Focusing on Churchill's domestic life, this book presents him as a nuanced politician rather than solely the wartime leader known for his bulldog persona. It challenges the perception of him as detached from domestic issues, revealing a shrewd parliamentarian engaged in the complexities of governance. Through subtle portraits, it offers a fresh perspective on his political acumen and involvement in domestic affairs.
During the Second World War many thousands of women joined the women's auxiliary services to perform important military tasks for the RAF, army and Royal Navy. This book traces the wartime history of these auxiliary services and the integration of women into the British armed forces.
Edited and introduced by two leading historians of the period, this volume tells the inside story of Home Intelligence and why it proved so controversial in Whitehall, the complete and unabridged sequence of reports provide us with a unique and extraordinary window into the mindset of the British during a momentous period in their history.
In his day Winston Churchill was one of the most famous human beings who ever lived. In 1945 most people in the world would have seen his name in the headlines, heard the latest news of him on the radio or seen his face beaming or glowering in the newsreels. His funeral in 1965 is said to have been watched on television by 350 million people around the globe. Those days are long gone, and the massed ranks of his contemporaries have been scythed away leaving only a few who remember him as a living presence. But of all the politicians of the 20th century, he is the only one to have inspired an apparently never-ending cascade of books, articles and documentaries. Part of the explanation lies in the fact that his place in our past is still in dispute. He is as controversial today as he was for much of his lifetime, and most of those who study him fall into one of two camps: pro or ante. Neutrality and indifference are rare. In this book Paul Addison, who has been studying Churchill for 40 years, weighs the arguments, looking at both the pro and anti Churchill case, but concluding not only that he was a great man but that his life was one of the most astonishing and fortunate accidents in world history.
The Bloomberg Guide to Business Journalism provides students and professionals with the essential tools for reporting on companies, industries, financial markets, economies, banks, and government policies anywhere in the world.
A Companion to Contemporary Britain covers the key themes and debates of 20th-century history from the outbreak of the Second World War to the end of the century. Assesses the impact of the Second World War Looks at Britain’s role in the wider world, including the legacy of Empire, Britain’s ‘special relationship’ with the United States, and integration with continental Europe Explores cultural issues, such as class consciousness, immigration and race relations, changing gender roles, and the impact of the mass media Covers domestic politics and the economy Introduces the varied perspectives dominating historical writing on this period Identifies the key issues which are likely to fuel future debate
This biography by Paul Addison explores Winston Churchill's remarkable transformation into a national hero during WWII, despite his controversial past and mixed reputation. It delves into the complexities of his character, revealing a warrior-statesman whose enduring legacy transcends both praise and criticism.
Examines the changes in British society that followed hard upon what had been the most destructive war ever known: years of recovery and reform, as Britain was reshaped by high ideals and a collective desire to enjoy the fruits and opportunities of peacetime.
On the night of 13th and 14th February 1945, the RAF bombed the German city of Dresden, causing devastating fires which obliterated the historic city centre and killed many thousands of people. Sixty years later, these raids remain one of the most notorious and also one of the most controversial episodes of the Second World War. The Bombing of Dresden, 1945 assembles a cast of distinguished scholars, including Sebastian Cox, Nicola Lambourne, Soenke Neitzel, Richard Overy and Hew Strachan, to review the origins, conduct, and consequences of the raids. Each contributor writes from his or her own perspective, offering the reader a panoramic reassessment of the evidence and the issues, including the question of whether or not the bombing of the city constitutes a war crime. Firestorm cogently demonstrates the reasons why Dresden has come to symbolize the military and ethical questions involved in the waging of total war.
Paul Addison charts the vastly changing character of British society since the end of the Second World War, bringing to the subject the personal point of view of someone who has lived through it all and seen the Britain of his youth turn into a very different country, but who in the final reckoning still prefers the present to the past.