Foreword

doi:10.5871/bacad/9780197266847.002.0005

Front Matter

Foreword

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https://doi.org/10.5871/bacad/9780197266847.002.0005

Pages

vii–viii

Published:

November 2020

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The Second World War saw the British state intervene in everyday life to an extent previously unimaginable. Defeating the Axis Powers was not simply a question of mobilising people and materials. It required a thoroughgoing effort across society, directed from Westminster and Whitehall. Planning, which to some had promised so much for so long, finally came of age. The Home Front witnessed an enormous extractive effort in the service of the state. Land and factories were commandeered, children evacuated, women returned to agricultural work, and a Home Guard formed. Nothing, however, was as ubiquitous or important as the rationing and price controls that transformed what people consumed, the dynamics of the dining table and shopping, and relations between retailers, suppliers (including abroad), and the government.

Such a command economy was wholly new to the British and was quickly put into place despite challenging political and administrative hurdles, involving important principles of equality and equity. As Minister of Food from 1940, Lord Woolton was central to this process. Coming from a business background, his commitment to practicality and getting things done was central to keeping the nation fed. But as the Editors ably show with their selection from his Diary, just as important was Woolton’s long-standing concerns with social justice – at this time he was not attached to a political party – and his appreciation of the importance of communicating decisions and expectations with the wider public. It is notable that he succeeded where his predecessor as Minister had failed, leading to his move to become Minister for Reconstruction in 1943. At this point, Woolton stopped keeping his diary, so the Editors use correspondence, official papers, and speeches to illustrate his efforts in this key office tasked with the scope and nature of the peace dividend a hard-pressed people might look forward to.

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