London in the Twentieth Century: A City and Its People - Review

Contemporary Review, Oct, 2001

London in the Twentieth Century: A City and Its People. Jerry White. Viking. [pound]25.00. 526 pages. ISBN 0-670-89139-8. The author, who has written on London's history before, is one of the three Local Government 'Ombudsmen' for England. Over the past few years quite a number of histories of London have appeared, let alone books on various aspects of a city that is in reality almost a nation.

The author seeks to discover what the twentieth century has added to the long history of London: the doubling of its population, the loss of its manufacturing sector, the loss of its port and with it of the river as a working river. He acknowledges that a city is the total of its parts so population changes are vital: the advent, for better or worse, of massive Commonwealth immigration has changed London beyond recognition. (Census records show that over half the black population in England lives in Greater London.) He eschews religion, education and trade to concentrate on policing, housing and the lives of 'marginal' Londoners because, he argues, these affect the lives of people in the capital and because these interest him. This, therefore, is one man's own view and is therefore 'patchy' in its coverage. Not surprisingly the book's chronological approach is organised round five themes: city, people, economy, popular culture and politics. The author has done his homework and given us a history of London and a study of important aspects of contemporary life there.