Labour at War: France and Britain 1914-1918

Copywriter: include this in European/French History rather than British This is a comparative study of national labour movements in France and Britain during the First World War. Historians of labour in this period have concentrated on pacifism, and on the post-war radicalism and emergent communism to which that contributed. John N. Horne focuses instead on the majorities in both the French and the British labour movements which continued to support the war to its end. He examines the terms of their support, and the broader working-class experience which this reflected, showing how a critical programme of socialist reforms was gradually developed. Labour at War is a genuinely comparative analysis, based on intensive primary research in both countries. It is an important contribution both to labour history, and to the social and political history of the First World War.

Table of Contents:
Abbreviations; Note on terms; List of figures and tables; The context; The 'Choice of 1914': Labour participation in the national efforts during the war; Responding to the war: the French labour movement and wartime problems; Planning the post-war world: the French labour movement and reform 1915-1916; Consolidating reformism: the French labour movement 1917-1918; The road to 'reconstruction': the British labour movement and post-war reform 1914-1918; Labour reformism in wartime: a comparison; The international dimension; The reckoning: l'aprés-guerre and the longer-term legacy; Appendices; Bibliography; Index

Review :
`a richly detailed and satisfying work - which is not a page too long ... Dr Horne skilfully manages both to control a vast mass of material and to demonstrate how different circumstances produced a similar response. It is an impressive performance.' John Gooch, The Higher 'Home's study is impressive and densely argued; it will fill an important gap in the literature of wartime labour.' G.R. Rubin, University of Kent at Canterbury, Newsletter of the Social History Society, Spring 1992 `... the book is highly recommended as a thoughtful analysis of the wartime activities of the two labour movements and the way these related to the political and economic climates and organizational change., Susan Milner, French Studies Vol 46, Part 4 'a pioneer study of Britain and France in the Great War ... he has made a sincere effort to write comparative history, to include the essentials of the story of the United Kingdom.' Stephen R. Graubard, Brown University, Albion 'excellent book ... This is a generally compelling thesis, expressed with force and clarity. John Horne has written a book which is solidly researched and interesting written and which gives new insights to all students of the labour movements in France and Britain. His achievement is considerable and will surely stimulate further work in comparative labour history.' Andrew Thorpe, University of Exeter, French History, Vol. 6, No. 4, Dec 1992