History

White Heat: A History of Britain in the Swinging Sixties

White Heat: A History of Britain in the Swinging Sixties

  • Downloads：3408
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-11-12 09:53:45
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Dominic Sandbrook
  • ISBN：0349118205
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

The sequel to Never Had It So Good completes Dominic Sandbrook's groundbreaking history of Britain in the 1960s， weaving together politics， sports， art， fashion， social trends， language， and popular culture

"The Britain that is going to be forged in the white heat of this revolution will be no place for restrictive practices or for outdated methods on either side of industry。" 
—Harold Wilson， UK Prime Minister 1964-1970， 1974-1976

Harold Wilson's famous reference to "white heat" captured the optimistic spirit of a society in the midst of breathtaking change。 From the gaudy pleasures of Swinging London to the tragic bloodshed in Northern Ireland， from the intrigues of Westminster to the drama of the World Cup， British life seemed to have taken on a dramatic new momentum。 The memories， images， and colorful personalities of those heady times still resonate today—mop-tops and mini-skirts， strikes and demonstrations， Carnaby Street and Kings Road， Harold Wilson and Edward Heath， Mary Quant and Jean Shrimpton， Connery as Bond and the Summer of Love， Marianne Faithfull and Mick Jagger。

This wonderfully rich and readable historical narrative looks behind the myths of the Swinging Sixties to unearth the contradictions of a society caught between optimism and decline。

Download

Reviews

Monsieur Croissant ，

Dominic Sandbrook could write the terms and conditions for a dull website and it would go viral！ Really， an extraordinary chronicler of social history， I knew I loved him when he enthralled me with a vivid account of a world cup football game。。。a subject that usually bores me to death！This was the 60s， looking forward to further gripping decades in further volumes。。。

Nigel Thomas ，

A highly enjoyable popular history of the sixties in the UK and forms one volume of Sandbrook’s treatments of each decade。This volume follows the Wilson Labour government from its optimistic vision of the “white heat” of technology that gives the book its title to the shock defeat to the underdog Edward Heath in 1970。 Interspersing political commentary with the contemporary landscape， it covers music， fashion， design， film， television， strangely only referencing sport with England’s World Cup ca A highly enjoyable popular history of the sixties in the UK and forms one volume of Sandbrook’s treatments of each decade。This volume follows the Wilson Labour government from its optimistic vision of the “white heat” of technology that gives the book its title to the shock defeat to the underdog Edward Heath in 1970。 Interspersing political commentary with the contemporary landscape， it covers music， fashion， design， film， television， strangely only referencing sport with England’s World Cup campaigns of 1966 and 70。 Sandbrook successfully punctures the cliches of the swinging sixties by illustrating real life outside of the small groups of London- based figureheads that most of the swinging applied to。 Contains a useful bibliography for those wanting to pursue aspects of the book in more detail。The writing is accessible and the lead up to the last Wilson election campaign reads like a thriller。Well recommended， and leaves you wanting to immediately race into the follow up volumes。 。。。more

johanna ☆ ，

Less insightful than its predecessor and Sandbrook's political leanings encroach on the narration more， too。 I personally do see the value in recounting the well-trodden stories of the Beatles， the Stones and the 1966 World Cup， but the level of detail gone into here about the minutiae of football matches and personal squabbles adds nothing but window dressing。 And for all Sandbrook likes to hammer home the point （which I agree with） that 'Swinging London' was a privileged and pretentious enclav Less insightful than its predecessor and Sandbrook's political leanings encroach on the narration more， too。 I personally do see the value in recounting the well-trodden stories of the Beatles， the Stones and the 1966 World Cup， but the level of detail gone into here about the minutiae of football matches and personal squabbles adds nothing but window dressing。 And for all Sandbrook likes to hammer home the point （which I agree with） that 'Swinging London' was a privileged and pretentious enclave unrepresentative of the experience of most ordinary Britons， he can't help but keep an inordinate amount of focus on the very swinging set he decries and， in general， on London。 English regions outside the South East， with the exception of interesting narration on anti-immigration campaigning in the West Midlands， are generally wheeled out as a homogenous mass of deprivation seen only in relation to and as a contrast with the London political and cultural scene。 Northern Ireland rightfully has a few chapters dedicated to it， but Scotland and Wales are barely mentioned at all - I don't think Wales was mentioned even once。 I get that this is meant to be a general， popular history of the period， but ultimately Sandbrook undermines his own argument against a young， middle-class London-centric image of the 60s by essentially positioning almost everything in relation to that scene。 。。。more

James ，

This was very much the sequel to Sandbrook's earlier book， as the successful balance of politics， pop culture and societal development continued from the point when Conservative rule was replaced by Harold Wilson's government。 Although long， this reflects the breadth of the subject matter rather than the book being too detailed， as it was easy to read and I was engaged throughout， though it did take me a few months to finish in the end。With the sheer amount of content， Sandbrook's skill is to gi This was very much the sequel to Sandbrook's earlier book， as the successful balance of politics， pop culture and societal development continued from the point when Conservative rule was replaced by Harold Wilson's government。 Although long， this reflects the breadth of the subject matter rather than the book being too detailed， as it was easy to read and I was engaged throughout， though it did take me a few months to finish in the end。With the sheer amount of content， Sandbrook's skill is to give detailed accounts of pivotal cabinet scenes while covering other subjects much more concisely， and as a result no chapter feels too long despite taking about half an hour to read。 As a result this was not a book for a quick dip into as you get much more from the subjects when reading them in one sitting。 Nor is it strictly chronological， with the political developments covered in order while other chapters could span a few years when discussing new towns or high rise council housing。Part of my interest is due to a gap in my knowledge， and perhaps others will consider this quite elementary。 However， I know about the Beatles and rarely care for the background stories of musicians， and yet I still found the music sections interesting; likewise， the films I have never seen。 There were some minor irritations， and pointing out that 11 million people were watching a given programme on television compared to just 250，000 who watched The Rolling Stones in Hyde Park came across as churlish。 The author regularly pointed out the relative popularity of media pet interests and more mainstream pursuits but the comparison between a live event and a TV broadcast was daft， although generally his point seemed sound - that it was important to remember what most of the country was doing， not just those in trendy London circles。 Perhaps he could have chosen to quote Jonathan Aitken less too。Overall， it was very accessible without seeming too neat。 He liked to quote polls indicating the population at large's thoughts as well as key media figures， even when it wasn't positive in the case of Enoch Powell， and it focused on both the wider trends and individual stories across all topics。 But while his publisher was clearly pleased enough with sales figures to commission further books on the 70s， Sandbrook ought to remember that 7。6 billion people probably have no idea who he is。 。。。more

Alex L ，

Like the previous book in this series， the book provided a colourful and informative picture of what life in the UK was like in 1964-70。 As someone born in the 1980s， the proceeding decades had always been somewhat of an enigma， with my knowledge of them not going far beyond the broadest of stereotypes e。g。 Swinging Sixties。 So， this book has helped me bridge the gap to my own times， seeing the gradual evolution of views and attitudes rather than the big swings that are often portrayed， as well Like the previous book in this series， the book provided a colourful and informative picture of what life in the UK was like in 1964-70。 As someone born in the 1980s， the proceeding decades had always been somewhat of an enigma， with my knowledge of them not going far beyond the broadest of stereotypes e。g。 Swinging Sixties。 So， this book has helped me bridge the gap to my own times， seeing the gradual evolution of views and attitudes rather than the big swings that are often portrayed， as well as issues that continue to echo to this day。 Highly recommended if you're interested in understanding the UK better 。。。more

Shiv Radia ，

Sandbrook let’s his political biases show here， more so than in the first of the anthology; ‘Never Had it So Good’。 It is as if he has assumed knowledge of the reader and so attempted to counterpoint perceived wisdom at every turn。 If this was badged as an ‘alternate history’ I wouldn’t have minded but it often reads as contrarian for the sake of it。 His methodology for supporting arguments is inconsistent; when denouncing the influence of rock n roll he will cite statistics （to suggest for exam Sandbrook let’s his political biases show here， more so than in the first of the anthology; ‘Never Had it So Good’。 It is as if he has assumed knowledge of the reader and so attempted to counterpoint perceived wisdom at every turn。 If this was badged as an ‘alternate history’ I wouldn’t have minded but it often reads as contrarian for the sake of it。 His methodology for supporting arguments is inconsistent; when denouncing the influence of rock n roll he will cite statistics （to suggest for example that the Sound of Music and Cliff Richard were more important than the Rolling Stones and the Beatles）， however to prove anti-immigrant/feminist sentiment for the general population he will use anecdotes and singular accounts。 This is a comprehensive take on the 60s， expanding on several issues （particularly internal politics） that overall makes this a worthy read， despite its shortfalls as described above。 。。。more

Michael Macdonald ，

Excellent history spanning comedy to politics with everything inbetween， captures the spirit of the time。 Debunks myth and places the world of Harold Wilson in context。

Kim ，

This a lengthy， but excellently-written， book covering the political and social events of the period 1964-1970。 Whilst analysing in a balanced way the politics of the time there are also enthralling chapters on fashion， music， the swinging sixties， the world situation etc。 that makes it a totally well-rounded read。 I'm glad to see there are several more in the series and am looking forward to reading more of them。 By using it as a 'coffee-table' book， picking it up every day or so and reading a This a lengthy， but excellently-written， book covering the political and social events of the period 1964-1970。 Whilst analysing in a balanced way the politics of the time there are also enthralling chapters on fashion， music， the swinging sixties， the world situation etc。 that makes it a totally well-rounded read。 I'm glad to see there are several more in the series and am looking forward to reading more of them。 By using it as a 'coffee-table' book， picking it up every day or so and reading a chapter of two at a time， has for me been an excellent way to read it - I didn't get overburdened by all the facts and revelations that are thrown your way but it gave me time to savour it and ponder the events of the time。 Also found it interesting as it was set in a period when I was between 8 and 15 years of age but also for part of that time living in Australia where we （or at least I） didn't really hear much of what was going on back in the UK。 Great read - 9/10。 。。。more

JS ，

Far too much about The Beatles！

Jason Wilson ，

This the second of the author’s history of post war Britain， the sixties in all its glory。 The Wilson labour government inherited a deficit from the previous Tory administration（ yes， it’s not just the left that is remembered for these things！） and wanted to forge itself in the white heat of technology。 Like the other Harold， Macmillan， this Govt would start well but suffer Ill fortune and Ill judgements。 And here it is : the social changes， the Vietnam war， the music， the Irish troubles。 Agains This the second of the author’s history of post war Britain， the sixties in all its glory。 The Wilson labour government inherited a deficit from the previous Tory administration（ yes， it’s not just the left that is remembered for these things！） and wanted to forge itself in the white heat of technology。 Like the other Harold， Macmillan， this Govt would start well but suffer Ill fortune and Ill judgements。 And here it is : the social changes， the Vietnam war， the music， the Irish troubles。 Against the hippy culture and some good legislative change is that for all the peace and love we were still deeply institutionally racist 。 And if the deference given to the Royals etc was giving way to celebrity culture exemplified in Beatlemania， that too is a case that the more things change。。。。One of Sandbrook’s great strengths， along with a knack for political précis ， is the way he shows how popular culture reflects the political and social picture ; sometimes he misjudges what is truly representative， but this is still a good chronicle， and as a Tory that he is he gives this Labour run a very good hearing。 Also as the Tory that he is， it’s clear that Heath is not his favourite of his party’s leaders 。。。。。。。 。。。more

James Borkoles ，

Great - Sandbrook's style is comprehensive， "popular" history with consideration across political， social and cultural developments。 The whole series is excellent and thoroughly recommended。 Great - Sandbrook's style is comprehensive， "popular" history with consideration across political， social and cultural developments。 The whole series is excellent and thoroughly recommended。 。。。more

Ian Mapp ，

2nd in a series of five books on recent British History。No need to change the formula - you get alternate chapters on politics， then social history - so the 790 pages never get boring。Politics - The Wilson Labour and just coming into the Heath Conservative years。 We certainly had character politicians then。 My favourite - George Brown， the permanently drunk foreign secretary。 Seemed to spend his days apologising to everyone。 A great sense of technological advancement and hope。Social History - Be 2nd in a series of five books on recent British History。No need to change the formula - you get alternate chapters on politics， then social history - so the 790 pages never get boring。Politics - The Wilson Labour and just coming into the Heath Conservative years。 We certainly had character politicians then。 My favourite - George Brown， the permanently drunk foreign secretary。 Seemed to spend his days apologising to everyone。 A great sense of technological advancement and hope。Social History - Beatles appear an awful lot - so do the Stones。 Nods to the Kinks/Animals。 No doubting Pop Music was important culturally。 The description of the 1966 World Cup final actually had me in tears。 If he wants to give up the Social History， he would make a damn fine sports writer。 TV a new medium - and the book ends with a review of the importance of Dad's Army in documenting the national psyche of the age。Interspersed are some real gems of information and characters - 1964 and half of the the population is under 35。 That is staggering。 Always pointers to things to look into。 In the month it took me to read the book， I have watched Ipcress File， Alfie and If。 I have listened to the Animals。 I have added on to the list of things to look into， the fashion photographer Terrance Donovan and Kevin McDonalds Sibylla's Night Club。 I have purchased the Books London Spy and The New London Spy。I found it informative and easy to read and will be moving onto book 3。 。。。more

Rodney Marshall ，

Superb social history of Britain in the 1960s， to be read alongside Never Had It So Good。

Jennifer Ozawa ，

This book felt a lot longer than the other two in the series that I’ve read， and not just because of the size。 As much as I like Sandbrook’s writing， he has quirks that get under my skin。 If you take a shot every time he uses the phrase “of the day”， you’ll die。 Still， I don’t think I could ask for a social history more complete than this one。 It addressed all the economic issues of the era and discussed the political fallout and really turned the idea of the “swinging sixties” upside down。

Thomas Smith ，

Very long and very brilliant。 This really covers all areas of interest in politics and popular culture in an in-depth and very engaging manner。 Highly enjoyable and fascinating！

Flob ，

I have mixed feelings about this。 When he presented facts it was a good read， when he presented opinion he revealed his prejudices - not a good read。 I was alive in the 60s and I never used the term 'dolly bird' nor did my friends but the cheap press did。 I suspect he got too much out of the papers which always reflects a narrow Fleet Street view and not enough from the many who are still alive。 I have mixed feelings about this。 When he presented facts it was a good read， when he presented opinion he revealed his prejudices - not a good read。 I was alive in the 60s and I never used the term 'dolly bird' nor did my friends but the cheap press did。 I suspect he got too much out of the papers which always reflects a narrow Fleet Street view and not enough from the many who are still alive。 。。。more

Peter ，

Meh。 Sandbrook was noticably hostile to the government in a way that let his party political leanings get in the way of the actual history。 Unable to stop snide little comments that didn't need making。Still， a highly comprehensive study of developments in the 1960s， even if the introduction to the first volume should be borne in mind: what remained the same was perhaps more significant than that which changed。 Meh。 Sandbrook was noticably hostile to the government in a way that let his party political leanings get in the way of the actual history。 Unable to stop snide little comments that didn't need making。Still， a highly comprehensive study of developments in the 1960s， even if the introduction to the first volume should be borne in mind: what remained the same was perhaps more significant than that which changed。 。。。more

Luke Nichol ，

The rush to modernisation of an ever-changing political and social fabric of modern Britain has led to a captivating documenting of 1960s Britain by Dominic Sandbrook。 With the race riots of Notting Hill in the 1950s， decolonisation， hostile industrial relations and economic slump， Britain would never be the same again during the pot-party revolution of the 1960s alongside Wilson's 'White Heat' of technology。 A notepad and pen will be handy when students especially want to dissect and grasp the The rush to modernisation of an ever-changing political and social fabric of modern Britain has led to a captivating documenting of 1960s Britain by Dominic Sandbrook。 With the race riots of Notting Hill in the 1950s， decolonisation， hostile industrial relations and economic slump， Britain would never be the same again during the pot-party revolution of the 1960s alongside Wilson's 'White Heat' of technology。 A notepad and pen will be handy when students especially want to dissect and grasp the mountain of material which Sandbrook has， characteristically， delivered yet again。 。。。more

Michael ，

This is the second volume of Sandbrook’s 4 volume （at the time of writing - a fifth is scheduled for release later in 2019） social and political history of Britain。Following on from Never Had It So Good， this essentially covers the Harold Wilson years。 Starting with Winston Churchill’s funeral and ending with Ted Heath’s election as prime minister， the first Wilson government forms the political spine around which this book is written。In typical Sandbrook style this political core is surrounded This is the second volume of Sandbrook’s 4 volume （at the time of writing - a fifth is scheduled for release later in 2019） social and political history of Britain。Following on from Never Had It So Good， this essentially covers the Harold Wilson years。 Starting with Winston Churchill’s funeral and ending with Ted Heath’s election as prime minister， the first Wilson government forms the political spine around which this book is written。In typical Sandbrook style this political core is surrounded with a mixture of social and cultural analysis。 Chapters dealing with the political history of the time are interspersed with softer chapters handling music， sport， television and other cultural manifestations， as well as more serious sections focusing on specific topics （women’s rights， the deterioration of the situation in Northern Ireland， urban planning）。In many ways， it’s an astonishing piece of work - Sandbrook marshals his resources and it never drags even considering the length。 He clearly has his biases and focuses， but overall this has claim to be one of the definitive books on the subject。 。。。more

Craig Werner ，

Tempted to rank it one star， but refrained as a nod toward the enormous amount of detail Sandbrook includes in a history of the Sixties that concludes with the proposition that the sitcom Dad's Army is as important a gauge of the decade as the Beatles。 That's indicative of the problem with Sandbrook's perspective; he's relentlessly dedicated to the idea that "public opinion，" which unfailingly reflects his not-very-well-concealed prejudices， is the gauge of what's important historically。 That， i Tempted to rank it one star， but refrained as a nod toward the enormous amount of detail Sandbrook includes in a history of the Sixties that concludes with the proposition that the sitcom Dad's Army is as important a gauge of the decade as the Beatles。 That's indicative of the problem with Sandbrook's perspective; he's relentlessly dedicated to the idea that "public opinion，" which unfailingly reflects his not-very-well-concealed prejudices， is the gauge of what's important historically。 That， in turn， is reflected in his very heavy reliance on opinions from the press as his methodological foundation。 Writing history from newspapers is always dangerous; writing history from tabloids， which he doesn't really differentiate from the more serious press， is just a terrible idea。 Again and again， he uses phrases like "most people，" "spoke for millions，" alongside invocations of the "middle class" or an anonymous， but in his mind representative， man in the street。One of Sandbrook's primary targets is the whole idea of "Swinging London，" although he does devote many pages to the "scene" and revels in a fair amount of celebrity gossip。 Of course， the worlds of rock music and fashion were never the center of daily experience for "regular people，" but that doesn't mean they didn't have an impact on "ordinary" lives。Another problem with the book is Sandbrook's refusal to sift through the evidence and arrive at either balanced judgments or a clear articulation of unresolvable tensions。 Instead， he presents one position， then， via a transition introduced by "Still" or "on the other hand，" presents an opposed position with equal authority。 It doesn't help that the "evidence" for both positions is likely to be quotes from newspapers or retrospective accounts from participants in political or cultural events。A final grouse: Sandbrook's sense of the music that was at the center of Britain's international presence is shaky at best。 He's determined to downplay the roots of British Invasion rock in African American music， preferring to emphasize the nostalgic， music-hall elements in Sgt。 Pepper's and the Kinks' Village Green Preservation Society （both of which I love， by the way）。 And he somehow decides that the sales figures for The Sound of Music soundtrack and Cliff Richards means they matter more than the Beatles or the Stones。 Come on。。。。Still （yeah， I know。。。）， anyone who wants to get a sense of the political machinations of the Wilson government or the economic tribulations of the pound will find everything they could hope for。 Wasn't worth anything resembling 780 pages of reading， but I do have a clearer idea of how Britain's experience relates to some of the larger currents of the Sixties。 。。。more

David Wasley ，

The sub-title is a bit misleading。 The book is much more a history of London in the Swinging Sixties than of Britain。 The paperback edition from Abacus does it no favours with 954 pages in the smallest font imaginable。 The book's theme is that the Sixties were not as way-out or as influential as many commentators have claimed。 It's a reasonable argument， presented in a balanced and lively style。 I enjoyed it。 The sub-title is a bit misleading。 The book is much more a history of London in the Swinging Sixties than of Britain。 The paperback edition from Abacus does it no favours with 954 pages in the smallest font imaginable。 The book's theme is that the Sixties were not as way-out or as influential as many commentators have claimed。 It's a reasonable argument， presented in a balanced and lively style。 I enjoyed it。 。。。more

Bryan Wigmore ，

It's over！ 3，000-odd pages of British domestic history 1956-1979， not including notes， over four volumes （I read them out of order， 1970s first）。 Entertaining， largely fascinating and seemingly comprehensive （I wouldn't have wanted them any more comprehensive， put it that way）， and well-structured。 Comforting in a way to know that British governments of either stripe have always been rubbish， depressing to witness the deterioration of the situation in Northern Ireland。 It's over！ 3，000-odd pages of British domestic history 1956-1979， not including notes， over four volumes （I read them out of order， 1970s first）。 Entertaining， largely fascinating and seemingly comprehensive （I wouldn't have wanted them any more comprehensive， put it that way）， and well-structured。 Comforting in a way to know that British governments of either stripe have always been rubbish， depressing to witness the deterioration of the situation in Northern Ireland。 。。。more

Nick Harriss ，

The last one I've read in an excellent series， albeit read in an odd order。 A great read， along with the other three， and certainly increased my understanding of the late-60s。 The last one I've read in an excellent series， albeit read in an odd order。 A great read， along with the other three， and certainly increased my understanding of the late-60s。 。。。more

Lysergius ，

This is a very long book， covering only 6 years of British history。 Yet these 6 years contain many of the trends and influences that have made Britain what it is today。Sandbrook is a very reasonable historian。 He defuses flower power， the swinging sixties， the anti-Vietnam demonstrations etc。 and reveals them for what they were。 The preoccupation of Britain's own guilded youth， and the mass media。 Fashions that came an went。 Using "Dad's Army" as an example he underlines the basic caution and co This is a very long book， covering only 6 years of British history。 Yet these 6 years contain many of the trends and influences that have made Britain what it is today。Sandbrook is a very reasonable historian。 He defuses flower power， the swinging sixties， the anti-Vietnam demonstrations etc。 and reveals them for what they were。 The preoccupation of Britain's own guilded youth， and the mass media。 Fashions that came an went。 Using "Dad's Army" as an example he underlines the basic caution and conservatism of the British。 For truly for most people the sixties were "business as usual"， slightly more affluent， but pretty much the same as the forties or fifties。 After all change is not what the British do。。。 。。。more

Erik ，

Another outstanding entry in Sandbrook's series on post-war British history。 The book is endlessly engaging on a variety of subjects including politics， pop music， football， fashion and the changing social mores of the decade。 The book covers the period from Harold Wilson's 1964 election victory through to Edward Heath's surprise victory in the 1970 election。 A recurring theme in the book is Sandbrook's belief that many of the things that we typically associate with the late 60s， such as long ha Another outstanding entry in Sandbrook's series on post-war British history。 The book is endlessly engaging on a variety of subjects including politics， pop music， football， fashion and the changing social mores of the decade。 The book covers the period from Harold Wilson's 1964 election victory through to Edward Heath's surprise victory in the 1970 election。 A recurring theme in the book is Sandbrook's belief that many of the things that we typically associate with the late 60s， such as long hair， student protest， radical politics， recreational drug use， and a libertine attitude towards sexuality， were only practiced by a comparatively small portion of the British population。 Furthermore， he asserts that many of these things didn't start making real inroads into British life until the first half of the 1970s。I have already read Sandbrook's two books covering the 1970s and am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series which is supposed to cover the period from Thatcher's 1979 election up until the Miner's Strike。 。。。more

Jane Griffiths ，

As always with Sandbrook， a highly readable account of a time in history， in this case the 1960s。 It's very long， and the chapters are quite short and not really connected with each other other than peripherally， so you get a chapter about the Prices and Incomes Policy followed by one about the Rolling Stones。 But it's good， and for me， who remembers it all but was between six and sixteen in that decade it makes sense of the news stories I found complicated at the time。 The chapter on the start As always with Sandbrook， a highly readable account of a time in history， in this case the 1960s。 It's very long， and the chapters are quite short and not really connected with each other other than peripherally， so you get a chapter about the Prices and Incomes Policy followed by one about the Rolling Stones。 But it's good， and for me， who remembers it all but was between six and sixteen in that decade it makes sense of the news stories I found complicated at the time。 The chapter on the start of he Troubles in Northern Ireland is particularly good。 Sandbrook appears to hold the then NI Premier Terence O'Neill responsible for the start of the Troubles （even though he had been replaced by Chichester-Clarke by the time the violence really started）。 Entertaining too about some of the sacred figures of he time， referring to Malcolm Muggeridge as "then not completely mad"。 Entertaining also about the Labour Party， in power for most of those years: as the party began to focus on modernity and to talk about science "the old image of cloth-capped trade unionists bickering with slightly deranged Hampstead intellectuals was no more。" Also， who remembers that the now-forgotten writer C。P。 Snow （who coined the notion "the two cultures" and the phrase "the corridors of power"） was once a government minister？ He lasted less than a year。 Or that Denis Healey wrote articles for the liberal anti-communist American journal 'New Republic' under the pseudonym 'Blair Winston'？ I suspect the Blair was referring to George Orwell， whose real surname that was， rather than to Tony， who would have been about twelve at the time。Sandbrook is good at context。 He reminds us that the phrase "East of Suez" is not from a journalist but from Kipling's poem 'Mandalay'。He's good on various politicians of the time， I particular Richard Crossman， "who could always be counted on for duplicity of some kind"。I hope this book， and others in the series， are given to young students and young people interested in the history of the U。K。 They are great source books， and the bibliographies are sensibly presented to point to further reading。Always good。 。。。more

Judith ，

Read it for a uni project but I found it to be really accessible and easy to follow that I read past the parts I only needed for my essay。 Great look at the social history of the 60s！ I enjoyed。

Susan ，

This is the second volume of Dominic Sandbrook’s history of Britain in the Swinging Sixties。 The first book， “Never Had It So Go，” took us to 1964 and this looks at the history of Britain from 1964 – 1970。 This book begins with the funeral of Winston Churchill – that monumental leader， who had led the country through war。 The national mood， indeed， was one of self-pity and there was a sense of decline。 However， there was soon to be an outpouring of new music， design， technology and talen and Eng This is the second volume of Dominic Sandbrook’s history of Britain in the Swinging Sixties。 The first book， “Never Had It So Go，” took us to 1964 and this looks at the history of Britain from 1964 – 1970。 This book begins with the funeral of Winston Churchill – that monumental leader， who had led the country through war。 The national mood， indeed， was one of self-pity and there was a sense of decline。 However， there was soon to be an outpouring of new music， design， technology and talen and England – or， perhaps， specifically， London， was about to swing… I say London， because， as the author is always reminding us， for most people England was most certainly not swinging。 Plays， such as “Cathy Come Home，” highlighted homelessness and poverty and， for most people， they may have read about the nightclubs and counter culture of London， but they did not experience it first-hand。 In Sunderland in the mid-Sixties， nine out of ten privately owned houses had no indoor toilet and three quarters of houses had no bath。 Of course， the after effects of war meant there was still a lot of slum housing being used and the country was still re-building。 The late Sixties would see the beginning of tower blocks and housing estates which would bring their own social problems in the next decade。Like the previous book， the author tends to alternate chapters on political and economic matters with social history， which helps the book flow seamlessly between more weighty issues to more frivolous ones。 Political issues concern Ted Heath and Harold Wilson， Mary Whitehouse and the permissive society， the Moors Murders， the 1967 act which decriminalised homosexuality， racial tension and education reforms; specifically the （in my opinion， disastrous） promotion of comprehensive education and attack on the grammar school system。Socially， of course， it was a time of huge change。 Musically， there was the meteoric rise of the Beatles; including their success in the United States， which opened the floodgates for other British acts to pour through。 This book concentrates mostly on the Beatles and the Rolling Stones （including the notorious Redlands drugs bust）， but also looks at other acts， such as the Kinks and the Who， and of music as a source of national pride。 Along with music， there is the British film industry， the theatre and television; a new generation of photographers， such as Terence Donovan and David Bailey， models such as Jean Shrimpton and Twiggy， fashion， sport – a minor event called The World Cup – and art and design。 Sandbrook pulls in just about everyone， from Mary Quant to Terence Conran， Michael Caine and the Krays， in his examination of this decade。 It was a time of classlessness – or， rather， a new class of youth and ability – of the counter culture and drugs。 However， only a minority of people went to nightclubs such as the Bag o’Nails， the Ad Lib and the Scotch of St James’s， to sit alongside the ‘in crowd。’ For most people， the swinging Sixties was something they read about in magazines。I really enjoyed both this book， and the previous one。 The author makes history readable， enjoyable and， often， very funny。 If you are looking for a good introduction to this decade， these books will give you a thorough account of all the major events in Britain – from politics to social history。 If you are interested in reading on， “State of Emergency” by the same author， looks at Britain from 1970 – 1974 and continues with， “Seasons in the Sun，” （1974-1979）。 。。。more

Mjstevens1 ，

This book seems to be largely marketed as a social and cultural history of the 1964-70 period。 Actually， I found it far more interesting as a political history。 As another reviewer has said， it is readable， informative， and gossipy - all good things。 About a third of the chapters are devoted to the travails of Harold Wilson's government and these I found by far the most interesting， learning new things and being left staggered by just how dysfunctional so much of the Labour Cabinet seems to have This book seems to be largely marketed as a social and cultural history of the 1964-70 period。 Actually， I found it far more interesting as a political history。 As another reviewer has said， it is readable， informative， and gossipy - all good things。 About a third of the chapters are devoted to the travails of Harold Wilson's government and these I found by far the most interesting， learning new things and being left staggered by just how dysfunctional so much of the Labour Cabinet seems to have been。The cultural stuff on the other hand just seemed to be hitting all the familiar landmarks I already knew - Sergeant Pepper， Carnaby Street， the Redlands bust， England winning the World Cup。 Perhaps I just came to the book knowing too much about Mick Jagger and not enough about Barbara Castle！ Or perhaps it's impossible to write about the 60s in Britain without acknowledging these as major events。 If the latter is the case， however， then it rather undermines the author's view that the best-known aspects of the Swinging Sixties only happened to members of a small moneyed metropolitan scene， only slightly touching the lives of average people。 If they weren't that important， then I was left wondering why we were spending so much more time in the Beatles' recording studio than in the semi-detached houses and tower block flats of the rest of the country。Also， I have to admit that the occasional sneeriness against Swinging London pretensions stuck in my throat。 Of course the Carry On films made more money than Blow Up or Performance， of course just because the Beatles became interested in Indian religion it didn't mean that everyone from Folkestone to Forfar suddenly started practising transcendental meditation。 But these points are made in my view with a （dare I say it？） Daily Mail-style undertone of contempt for intellectual curiosity or the 'liberal intelligentsia' that struck me as unpleasant and unnecessary。Overall though， highly readable， and a comprehensive run through the period。 I'm keen to read the author's other books on the 50s and 70s， eras I think I know less about， to see how they compare。 。。。more

Russ Spence ，

A very readable account of how swinging the 60s weren't for most people that pretty much covers anything you might want to read about， & avoids the obvious bias that spoils Sandbrook's later books。 A very readable account of how swinging the 60s weren't for most people that pretty much covers anything you might want to read about， & avoids the obvious bias that spoils Sandbrook's later books。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=White Heat: A History of Britain in the Swinging Sixties

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=White Heat: A History of Britain in the Swinging Sixties&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,White Heat: A History of Britain in the Swinging Sixties&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0