THE beginnings of a bibliography of the history of the interwar years in Great Britain will be found in the references given in the footnotes throughout this book. The purpose of this note is simply to give some general references to books which will lead the reader further into the various subjects.
There are very few general histories of the period. The most useful are J. A. Spender, Great Britain: Empire and Commonwealth, 1886-1935 ( London, 1936); G. D. H. Cole and R. Postgate, The Common People, 1747-1938 ( London, 1938; revised and enlarged edition, 1946, also published in New York as The British People, 1746-1946); D. C. Somervell, Reign of King George the Fifth ( London, New York, 1935) and his British Politics since 1900 ( London, New York, 1950); Keith Hutchison, Decline and Fall of British Capitalism ( New York, 1950; London, 1951). K. B. Smellie , Hundred Years of English Government ( London, 1937; revised edition, 1950) contains a good historical survey as well as an excellent account of the development of government. G. D. H. Cole , History of the Labour Party from 1914 ( London, 1948), covers a wide ground and has no counterpart for the other parties. The History of The Times, vol. IV, 1912-1948 (2 parts; London, 1952) contains much important, general information. For the year's events the Annual Registeris an invaluable guide; for a wealth of statistical information the annual volumes of the Statistical Abstract for the United Kingdom; and for much else Whitaker's Almanack and the (often tantalisingly reticent) entries in Who's Who.
For affairs of state the Parliamentary Debates must be consulted. The reports of royal commissions and of some departments, and white papers on foreign policy and other matters, are Command Papers, and can be found in the Parliamentary Papers for each year; non-command papers must be obtained separately (see the Stationery Office's Consolidated List of Government Publications for each year). There is a useful list and epitome of these materials in P. and G. Ford, A Breviate of Parliamentary Papers, 1917-1939 ( Oxford, 1961). Texts of current statutes will be found in the
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