Shellshock Nation: Fear, Fantasy, and the Myth of the "Devil's Decade"

Episode Summary:

In this episode of Explaining History, Nick talks to cultural historian Alwyn Turner about his latest book, Shellshock Nation: Britain Between the Wars.

We often remember the 1930s as W.H. Auden's "low, dishonest decade"—a time of mass unemployment, hunger marches, and the looming shadow of fascism. But was it really all doom and gloom? Alwyn argues that for many in Britain, the interwar years were a period of vibrant creativity, rising living standards, and the birth of modern consumer culture.

From the explosion of paperback books and the popularity of g...