by David Mathieson - £14.99 Amberley Publishing (2016)
paperback
ISBN 13: 9781445661032 | ISBN 10: 1445661039
In September 1960 the central London district of St Pancras was convulsed by rioting. What had begun months before as a peaceful protest about the lack of decent housing spiraled into some of the worst street fighting ever seen in the capital. The violence shook the nation. All Metropolitan police leave was cancelled, MPs demanded an emergency debate in the House of Commons and a horrified Home Secretary used draconian measures to quell the unrest.
The popular image of post-war Britain is one of peace and prosperity but the disturbances in St Pancras reveal a very different history. This book explains the full story behind the riots as one ordinary community in the metropolis struggled to recover from the devastation of the Blitz and the Second World War.
The events were driven by a cast of colourful characters drawn from a remarkable generation forged by war, poverty and the relentless ambition to build a more just society. 'Red Flags and Riots in Post-War London' describes how many of the issues at the centre of the storm, such as inequality, migration and affordable housing, remain at the centre of our political debates today.
(Price & availability last checked: November 2016)
In booklists: British History - 20th Century,
In categories: History & Biography, Ireland, Scotland & Wales,
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