'Millions like us'? : British culture in the Second World War

The starting point of this collection of essays on cultural production and reception in Britain during World War II is how the way in which this war was presented to, and understood by, contemporaries differentiated it from earlier conflicts.

Although this was particularly noticeable in the construction of ideas of inclusiveness and commonality, in which "the people" pulled together to secure victory and a socially equitable peace, the essays also explore the diversity of institutional and personal experiences.

Whether or not the war facilitated a coming-together of cultural ideas and objectives, both new and old, is a recurring theme.Of the agencies considered, some were war-specific, such as the Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts (CEMA), which later became the Arts Council.

Others were already major institutions and industries, from the recently-formed BBC with its public-service ethos and monopolistic controls, to the culturally diverse and rapidly expanding commercial press, or a British film industry previously overshadowed by its American counterpart.Important, too, was how cultural provision was viewed by the Labour movement (given the reputed leftwards trend in wartime society) and industry (in this case, coal mining).

Sport and recreation, and the host of largely voluntary agencies associated with its governance, are also examined.

Finally the collection explores the role of the individual agent, with studies on established writers and composers, and how each related to the collective rationales of wartime.