‘Aftermath’ by Graham Berry reviewed by Western Front Association
The Journal of The Western Front Association Journal Stand To! No. 113 featured Graham Berry’s book ‘Aftermath’. The article states that book ‘offers a clear narrative and analysis especially those studying this era for the first time an illuminating and sober overview of the enormity of the world-wide changes triggered by war.’
The author claims that 1918-1924 was a period that can be truly said to have shaped the twentieth century. The book offers an overlapping insight into many aspects of the period, starting with a detailed breakdown of the end of the Great War and the effects of the Treaty of Versailles; the development of both American and British society in the aftermath of war. Author has discussed the Spanish Flu pandemic (so named because of censorship); women's empowerment in Britain, their battle to retain the economic opportunities brought by the war and Dr Marie Stopes’s revolutionizing role in women's lives brought by the downfall of the Liberals and the rise of Labour; the rise of modern Ireland, including the role of the IRA; the shaping of the Middle East; the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia and the beginning of Communism in the twentieth century.
Graham Berry lives in Richmond, North Yorkshire. He studied Modern History at Durham University, and taught and researched History for many years. Although Aftermath is his first published book for the general public, he has some contributions towards educational textbooks to his credit.