Introduction: The Road from 1945

Abstract

The essays in this volume originated as papers in the 1995 conference of the Institute of Contemporary British History on British History, 1945–1995: the state of the art. The dual purpose of the conference was both to take stock of the existing literature and to identify ways in which the writing of contemporary history could be made more rigorous and challenging. Welfare policy attracted a disproportionate number of papers at the conference, actively reflecting the variety and vitality of research in this area. At an international level, for instance, the work of Peter Flora and the current initiatives of both the Swedish Institute for Social Research and the French Ministère des Affaires Sociales, de la Santé et de la Ville, have provided a focus for comparative work.¹ At an interdisciplinary level, experts in social policy, sociology, political science and economics have examined in depth the fundamental causes, mechanics and rationality of policy change. The richness of the resulting research is reflected in the succeeding essays. Methodologically, they vary from broad surveys to detailed case studies. Analytically, they range from past policies to current concerns and extend the conventional boundaries of welfare to cover issues such as industrial relations and race.