Twentieth-century Mass Society in Britain and the Netherlands

From the beginning of the nineteenth century, Western Europe witnessed the emergence of a "mass" society. Grand social processes such as urbanization, industrialization and democratization blurred the previous sharp distinctions that had divided society.Comparing the British and Dutch experience of mass society in the twentieth century, this book considers five major areas: politics, welfare, media, leisure and youth culture.

In each section, two well-known specialists--one from each country--look at the conditions in the rise of a mass society, drawing on history, cultural studies and sociology, to bring new insight into the development of modern European society.