Waging War and Building Peace: Mobilising Industry in Wales, 1934-1947 (Studies in Welsh History) - Softcover

Gooberman, Leon

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1837722706 ISBN 13: 9781837722709

Publisher: University of Wales Press, 2025

Synopsis

The British economy altered radically between 1934 and 1947. Some of the most dramatic changes were in Wales as its struggling private-sector-led economy was supplanted by one dominated by the state. Initial changes were barely noticeable as pre-war rearmament had little impact on its economy and labour market – yet wartime demands for munitions and raw materials prompted the state to govern an all-encompassing mobilisation that upended its relations with business and eliminated unemployment. New factories employed many thousands of people, agriculture was modernised and metal manufacturing thrived, although coal mining remained mired in crisis. As the war ended, lessons learnt during the conflict helped guide the government as it reconverted the economy to peacetime while retaining a dominant role. This book is the first to fully set out and explore these linkages in Wales between government planning, workplaces and their employees.

About this title

About the Author

Leon Gooberman is Reader in Employment Relations at Cardiff University Business School.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Wales Press
• Publication date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1837722706
• ISBN 13: 9781837722709
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 248