The Attlee governments in perspective : commitment and detachment in the writing of contemporary history
The early to mid-nineteen eighties saw the publication of several substantial studies of the two immediate post-war Labour governments, studies which - in claiming to meet all the requirements of scholarly history - also made out a strong case for the possibility of a value-free explanation of the recent past. The basis for this assertion is examined in the present account by means of a preliminary survey of the changes through which the literature on the Attlee governments has already passed, drawing attention to the differing attitudes and presuppositions of the main schools of historical and other disciplinary opinion and the extent to which these differing approaches - exhibiting contrasting elements of commitment and detachment, and of insight and distortion - can be shown to have contributed to, or departed from, the notion of an enhanced understanding. Evidence for the growth of a more objectively critical history is then explored in greater detail by tracing the development of some of the central problems and controversies relating to the period after 1945, clarifying the main points at issue, outlining the evolution of evidence and interpretation, and demonstrating the way in which empirically-based
Burgess, Simon Gregory
The Attlee governments in perspective : commitment and detachment in the writing of contemporary history. The early to mid-nineteen eighties saw the publication of several substantial studies of the two immediate post-war Labour governments, studies which - in claiming to meet all the requirements of scholarly history - also made out a strong case for the possibility of a value-free explanation of the recent past. The basis for this assertion is examined in the present account by means of a preliminary survey of the changes through which the literature on the Attlee governments has already passed, drawing attention to the differing attitudes and presuppositions of the main schools of historical and other disciplinary opinion and the extent to which these differing approaches - exhibiting contrasting elements of commitment and detachment, and of insight and distortion - can be shown to have contributed to, or departed from, the notion of an enhanced understanding. Evidence for the growth of a more objectively critical history is then explored in greater detail by tracing the development of some of the central problems and controversies relating to the period after 1945, clarifying the main points at issue, outlining the evolution of evidence and interpretation, and demonstrating the way in which empirically-based
attlee_government perspective commitment detachment write contemporary history saw publication several substantial study immediate_post war labour_government study claim meet_requirement scholarly history also_make strong case possibility value free explanation recent_past basis assertion examine present_account mean preliminary survey change literature attlee_government already pass draw_attention differ attitude presupposition main school historical disciplinary opinion extent differ approach exhibit contrast element commitment detachment insight distortion show contribute depart notion enhance understanding evidence growth objectively critical_history explore great_detail tracing development central problem controversy relate clarify main_point issue outline evolution evidence interpretation demonstrate way empirically based