Overview

The extent to which the Great War impacted upon English landed society is most vividly recalled in the loss of young heirs to ancient estates. English Landed Society in the Great War considers the impact of the war on these estates. Using the archives of Country Life, Edward Bujak examines the landed estate that flourished in England. In doing so, he explores the extent to which the wartime state penetrated into the heartlands of the landed aristocracy and gentry, and the corrosive effects that the progressive and systematic militarization of the countryside had on the authority of the squire. The book demonstrates how the commitment of landowners to the defence of an England of home and beauty - an image also adopted in wartime propaganda - ironically led to its transformation. By using the landed estate to examine the transition from Edwardian England to modern Britain, English Landed Society in the Great War provides a unique lens through which to consider the First World War and its impact on English society.

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9781472592163

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Reviews

Edward Bujak has written a lucid and informative book showing how the aristocracy adjusted to the demands of war without losing their sense of themselves as a landowning political elite. * John Beckett, Professor of English Regional History, University of Nottingham, UK * Bujak's richly sourced analysis of the English aristocracy reveals in striking new detail the lineaments of the crisis which beset the countryside's traditional elite during the Great War. * Matthew Cragoe, Professor of Modern British History and Pro Vice Chancellor, University of Lincoln, UK *

Edward Bujak has written a lucid and informative book showing how the aristocracy adjusted to the demands of war without losing their sense of themselves as a landowning political elite. * John Beckett, Professor of English Regional History, University of Nottingham, UK *

Author Information

Edward Bujak is Senior Lecturer in British Studies and History at Harlaxton College, UK. He is the author of Reckless Fellows: The Gentlemen of the Royal Flying Corps (2015) and England’s Rural Realms: Landownership and the Agricultural Revolution (2008). He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, the Royal Historical Society and the Royal Society of Arts.

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