Contemporary Britain is often held to be in decline and yet the nature of this decline is elusive. Is it social and moral, characterized by rising crime rates, urban unrest and sexual permissiveness? Or is it political and economic, and when in fact did it set in? Alan Sked examines the many competing explanations for Britain's decline and reaches some intriguing and original conclusions.

Alan Sked is Lecturer in international History at the Lonson School of Economics and Political Science and principle author (with Chris Cook) of Post-War Britain: A Political History (seond edition, 1984).