Golden age apathy or stealth Democratic engagement in Britain 1945 1950.pdf (1.43 MB)
Golden age, apathy or stealth? Democratic engagement in Britain, 1945–1950
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 08:31 authored by Jonathan MossJonathan Moss, Nick Clarke, Will Jennings, Gerry StokerThis article revisits democratic engagement in post-war Britain in a context of debates about political disaffection in the current period. The study systematically reanalysed volunteer writing in the Mass Observation Archive and represents a significant methodological advance on previous studies. Little evidence was found to support common existing interpretations: whether ‘golden age’ narratives of deference to authority, partisan alignment and high voter turnout or revisionist accounts of apathy. Instead, evidence was found of something akin to what Hibbing and Theiss-Morse call ‘stealth democracy’. Citizens thought democracy to be important and felt a duty to vote, but wished for government by experts in the national interest. This ‘stealth’ interpretation builds on existing studies of duty, populism and expertise in twentieth-century Britain. It helps to move discussion of democratic engagement after the Second World War beyond the binaries of self/collective and private/public, and to explain the paradox of high voter turnout in a context of hostility to party politics. It also promises to inform debates about declining political support in the current period.
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Published version
Journal
Contemporary British HistoryISSN
1361-9462Publisher
Taylor & FrancisExternal DOI
Issue
4Volume
30Page range
441-462Department affiliated with
- Politics Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2017-11-01First Open Access (FOA) Date
2017-11-01First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2017-11-01Usage metrics
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