The first volume of Hennessy's postwar history of Britain concerns an age dominated by the shadow of war. With the beginnings of the Cold War, the foundations of the new Europe and the granting of independence of former colonies, Britain was forced to negotiate a new place in the world. It was also a time of rationing and of rebuilding, marked by the founding of the NHS and the welfare state. This comprehensive history embraces both high politics and everyday experience. It recreates the mood of the time and tells us where people lived, how they worked and what they wore.

Peter Hennessy was described by the late Ben Pimlott as 'a political historian and journalist who has himself become something of a national institution'. He is Attlee Professor of History at Queen Mary College, London, and the author of the best-selling The Prime Minister and The Secret State (all Penguin). He is a frequent broadcaster and is regularly consulted by all political parties on constitutional and historical questions.