Description
Before the Second World War, only about 20% of the population went to secondary school and barely 2% to university; today everyone goes to secondary school and half of all young people go to university. How did we get here from there? The Crisis of the Meritocracy answers this question not by looking to politicians and educational reforms, but to the revolution in attitudes and expectations amongst the post-war British public - the rights guaranteed by the welfare state, the hope of a better life for one's children, widespread upward mobility from manual to non-manual occupations, confidence in the importance of education in a 'learning society' and a 'knowledge economy'. As a result of these transformations, 'meritocracy' - the idea that a few should be selected to succeed - has been challenged by democracy and its wider understandings of equal opportunity across the life course. At a time when doubts have arisen about whether we need so many students, and amidst calls for a return to grammar-school selection at 11, the tension between meritocracy and democracy remains vital to understanding why our grandparents, our parents, ourselves and our children have sought and got more and more education - and to what end.
About the Author
Peter Mandler is an historian of modern Britain who teaches at Cambridge University; his books cover a range of social, cultural, political, and intellectual history subjects relating to Britain since the 18th century and also to the history of the social sciences in the wider Anglophone world. Between 2012 and 2016 he was President of the Royal Historical Society and from 2020 he serves as President of the Historical Association. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was born and raised in the USA but has spent most of his adult life in the UK; he is married to Ruth Ehrlich, a professional violinist, and has two grown-up children, who are also sadly split between the US and the UK.
Reviews
... a very important book... The clarity of Mandler's writing and historical perspective mediates a subject dominated by sociological and economic interpretation, resulting in a major, indeed fundamental, contribution to understanding modern British society. * M J Moore, CHOICE magazine *
... a refreshing perspective on half a century of change in our education system, one which amplifies the forgotten influence of parents and students in the transformation. * Nicola Robertson, University of Strathclyde, Erziehungswissenschaftliche Revue (EWR) *
The Crisis of the Meritocracy makes a valuable contribution to the history of post-war education, illuminating the importance of reconceptualising the transition to mass education in terms of the attitudes and motivations of people, rather than of policy. * Florence Smith, History *
The Crisis of the Meritocracy is an impressive synthesis of sociology, economics, and history. * Laura Tisdall, Journal of British Studies *
David Willetts welcomes a bold account of how the battle between democracy and meritocracy has transformed higher education in the UK * David Willetts, Times Higher *
What gives Mandler's account its power and originality is its refreshingly non-technocratic stress not only on broad social and cultural forces at work... a crisply written, tightly argued and hugely informative Olympian survey in which an incisive but humane historian, who over the years has written about a wide range of subjects, brings all his talents to bear. * David Kynaston, Times Literary Supplement *
Truly impressive..tour de force of revisionist insight slaying assumptions and myths of both the political left and right by keeping its focus fixed on the wishes and actions of young people and their parents Mandlers significant, original, and thought-provoking findings will help us think more clearly about education today, not only in Britain, but also in the United States and elsewhere. * Marginalia/LA Review of Books *
This book is...like a well-prepared restaurant meal with each tasty ingredient carefully balanced by the others...In many respects, this is the book we have been waiting for and we should read Mandlers conclusions not as some dusty historical reflections but as a lesson on the stresses and strains that we are likely to face on the hopefully continuing but not inevitable journey of educational progress. We could not have a better guide. * Nick Hillman, Higher Education Policy Institution *
This is a fascinating book... It is unusually wide in its scope, impressive in its scholarship and covers a lot of detail chronicling the expansion of more and more education over the last 75 years. It is highly recommended. * Education Journal *
In this brilliant book, Mandler recasts the history of democracy in post-war Britain by placing the social and cultural forces that drove the relentless expansion of mass education centre-stage. It is a refreshingly original tour de force that will challenge many preconceptions. * Jon Lawrence, author of Me, Me, Me? The Search for Community in Post-war England *
Fascinating and convincing: contemporary history at its best. Mandler's account of the 'race between education and democracy' shows how modern British education is the product of broad social change rather than political fights and ideology. This makes it hugely relevant to anyone interested in policy. With luck, it may even improve our policymaking. * Alison Wolf, author of Does Education Matter? Myths About Education and Economic Growth *
Book Information
ISBN 9780198840145
Author Peter Mandler
Format Hardback
Page Count 384
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 1g
Dimensions(mm) 243mm * 162mm * 36mm
About the Author
Peter Mandler is an historian of modern Britain who teaches at Cambridge University; his books cover a range of social, cultural, political, and intellectual history subjects relating to Britain since the 18th century and also to the history of the social sciences in the wider Anglophone world. Between 2012 and 2016 he was President of the Royal Historical Society and from 2020 he serves as President of the Historical Association. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was born and raised in the USA but has spent most of his adult life in the UK; he is married to Ruth Ehrlich, a professional violinist, and has two grown-up children, who are also sadly split between the US and the UK.
Reviews
... a very important book... The clarity of Mandler's writing and historical perspective mediates a subject dominated by sociological and economic interpretation, resulting in a major, indeed fundamental, contribution to understanding modern British society. * M J Moore, CHOICE magazine *
... a refreshing perspective on half a century of change in our education system, one which amplifies the forgotten influence of parents and students in the transformation. * Nicola Robertson, University of Strathclyde, Erziehungswissenschaftliche Revue (EWR) *
The Crisis of the Meritocracy makes a valuable contribution to the history of post-war education, illuminating the importance of reconceptualising the transition to mass education in terms of the attitudes and motivations of people, rather than of policy. * Florence Smith, History *
The Crisis of the Meritocracy is an impressive synthesis of sociology, economics, and history. * Laura Tisdall, Journal of British Studies *
David Willetts welcomes a bold account of how the battle between democracy and meritocracy has transformed higher education in the UK * David Willetts, Times Higher *
What gives Mandler's account its power and originality is its refreshingly non-technocratic stress not only on broad social and cultural forces at work... a crisply written, tightly argued and hugely informative Olympian survey in which an incisive but humane historian, who over the years has written about a wide range of subjects, brings all his talents to bear. * David Kynaston, Times Literary Supplement *
Truly impressive..tour de force of revisionist insight slaying assumptions and myths of both the political left and right by keeping its focus fixed on the wishes and actions of young people and their parents Mandlers significant, original, and thought-provoking findings will help us think more clearly about education today, not only in Britain, but also in the United States and elsewhere. * Marginalia/LA Review of Books *
This book is...like a well-prepared restaurant meal with each tasty ingredient carefully balanced by the others...In many respects, this is the book we have been waiting for and we should read Mandlers conclusions not as some dusty historical reflections but as a lesson on the stresses and strains that we are likely to face on the hopefully continuing but not inevitable journey of educational progress. We could not have a better guide. * Nick Hillman, Higher Education Policy Institution *
This is a fascinating book... It is unusually wide in its scope, impressive in its scholarship and covers a lot of detail chronicling the expansion of more and more education over the last 75 years. It is highly recommended. * Education Journal *
In this brilliant book, Mandler recasts the history of democracy in post-war Britain by placing the social and cultural forces that drove the relentless expansion of mass education centre-stage. It is a refreshingly original tour de force that will challenge many preconceptions. * Jon Lawrence, author of Me, Me, Me? The Search for Community in Post-war England *
Fascinating and convincing: contemporary history at its best. Mandler's account of the 'race between education and democracy' shows how modern British education is the product of broad social change rather than political fights and ideology. This makes it hugely relevant to anyone interested in policy. With luck, it may even improve our policymaking. * Alison Wolf, author of Does Education Matter? Myths About Education and Economic Growth *
Book Information
ISBN 9780198840145
Author Peter Mandler
Format Hardback
Page Count 384
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 1g
Dimensions(mm) 243mm * 162mm * 36mm
