The inter-war period (1918–1939) is still remembered as a period of mass deprivation – the 'hungry thirties'. But how did this impression emerge? Thousands of conversations about life in the inter-war period – between parents and children around the dinner table; among workmates at the pub – shaped these understandings. In turn, these fed into popular politics. Stories about the embryonic welfare system in the early-twentieth century informed how people felt towards the National Health Service; memories of the Great Depression shaped arguments about state intervention in the economy. Challenging accounts of widespread political disengagement in the twentieth century, Politics of the Past shows how re-telling family stories about the inter-war period offered ordinary people an accessible way of engaging in politics. Drawing on six local case studies across Scotland and England, this book explains how stories about the inter-war working-class experience in industrial areas came to appear commonplace nationwide.

Long-listed, 2025 First Book Prize, The Royal Historical Society

‘Cowan mobilises memory as a powerful means of understanding historical change, the relationship between generations over time, and, ultimately, the history of modern Britain. An outstanding contribution to the field.’

Claire Langhamer - University of Sussex

‘Cowan takes his readers on a tour of cities around the UK, richly evoking the specificities of place while building a compelling argument about the shifting meanings of the thirties in popular political imaginaries.’

Florence Sutcliffe-Braithwaite - University College London

‘This insightful and engaging book is not only a sophisticated study of memories of the inter-war period, but also a thought-provoking analysis of British popular political culture across the twentieth century. Politics of the Past makes numerous important interventions in the history of modern Britain.’

Adrian Bingham - University of Sheffield

‘By drawing upon a rich array of social-science interviews, David Cowan reveals how the place of the Depression in post-war politics was shaped by family stories, shifting memories and locality. Politics of the Past is a fascinating account of popular politics and shows the power of emotions, everyday experiences and generation in political life.’

Stephanie Ward - Cardiff University

‘In his deeply researched and richly analytical book, David Cowan explores the ways in which memories of the 1930s have been variably composed, narrated and received across post-war British history. … [The book] will be of significant interest to oral historians because of the central place of memory within its purview.’

George Severs Source: Oral History Society