Is Britain Dying?

Mountains of garbage in Leicester Square; racial conflict in the cities; terrorist bombings and assassinations; civil servants refusing to work; futile negotiations between labor and management, and a government impotent to aid them: these recent scenes characterize the plight of modern Britain. A model of vital and efficient world power at the start of this century, Britain today seems hardly able to maintain stability in its own proper domain, as Scotland considers the merits of independence and Northern Ireland engages in ever more violent civil conflict.In this timely collection of essays, distinguished scholars and politicians (including former prime minister Edward Heath) probe the source and nature of Britain's apparent ills. Are those ills, they ask, symptoms of rapid social decline or are they inevitable spasms brought about by Britain's struggle to achieve new and innovative patterns of life in the postindustrial age? Placing Britain's current methods of handling its social problems in the context of British history and traditions, the contributors set forth their views on Britain's economy, domestic politics, world position, and problematic future.As Isaac Kramnick points out in his introductory overview of the British crisis, Britain's ability to reconcile bureaucracy and social welfare with an Anglo-Saxon concept of freedom will carry great significance for the United States. Whether our national ancestor is dying or not, who stands to learn more from Britain's struggles than the nation that shares so much of its heritage?