The Age of Decadence: Britain 1880 to 1914

‘A riveting account of the pre-First World War years . . . The Age of Decadence is an enormously impressive and enjoyable read.’
— Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times

‘A magnificent account of a less than magnificent epoch.’
— Jonathan Meades, Literary Review

The folk memory of Britain in the years before the Great War is of a powerful, contented, orderly, and thriving country:

• She commanded a vast empire.
• She bestrode international commerce.
• Her citizens were living longer, profiting from civil liberties their grandparents only dreamt of, and enjoying an expanding range of comforts and pastimes.

The mood of pride and self-confidence is familiar from Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance marches, newsreels of George V’s coronation, and London’s great Edwardian palaces.

Beneath the Surface: Contradictions and Challenges

In The Age of Decadence, Simon Heffer exposes the contradictions of late-Victorian and Edwardian Britain, revealing a nation grappling with profound challenges:

• Imperial doubts: Despite Britain’s massive power, the mismanaged Boer War in South Africa created deep uncertainties about her imperial destiny.
• Constitutional crisis and industrial unrest: Attempts to secure vital social reforms led to the twentieth century’s gravest constitutional crisis and coincided with the worst industrial unrest in British history.
• Gender inequality: While millions more men were granted the vote, women were so utterly disregarded that suffragists’ public protests bordered on terrorism.
• Degeneracy and scandal: The ruling class fell prey to degeneracy and scandal, undermining their authority.

A National Psyche in Transition

Heffer also delves into the complex psyche of the era, highlighting:

• The embrace of modernity, such as the motor-car, the sensationalist press, and the science fiction of H.G. Wells.
• A simultaneous longing for tradition, seen in the Arts and Crafts movement of William Morris and the nostalgia of A.E. Housman.
• The looming crisis of 1914: a potential civil war in Ireland that threatened the very existence of the United Kingdom.

Vivid Pen-Portraits of an Era

Through vivid pen-portraits of the great figures of the time, Heffer brings the era to life. Key personalities include:

• Political giants like Gladstone, Parnell, Asquith, and Churchill.
• Social reformers and cultural icons such as Mrs. Pankhurst, Beatrice Webb, Baden-Powell, Wilde, and Shaw.

Together, they form a richly detailed panorama of a great power forced to confront potentially fatal challenges through both accident and arrogance.

‘A devastating critique of prewar Britain . . . disturbingly relevant to the world in which we live.’
— Gerard DeGroot, The Times

‘You won’t put it down . . . A really riveting read.’
— Rana Mitter, BBC Radio 3 Free Thinking