The text covers the period of English rural history from the high point of Britain's agricultural power in the 1850s and 1860s through to the grim years of the inter-war period. Uncovering many of the myths of an idyllic rural England, Howkins looks in detail at the role of women, the workplace, the family and religion. Topics covered include: the creation of a stable social order by the rural elites, concealing widespread poverty and disorder; the economic collapse of the cereal market in the 1870s; the emergence of trade unions and other forms of social conflict in the countryside; and...

Alun Howkins' panoramic survey is a social history of rural England and Wales in the twentieth century. He examines the impact of the First World War, the role of agriculture throughout the century, and the expectations of the countryside that modern urban people harbour. Howkins analyzes the role of rural England as a place for work as well as leisure, and the problems caused by these often conflicting roles.
This overview will be welcomed by anyone interested in agricultural and social history, historical geographers, and all those interested in rural affairs.

First Published in 1991. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.