"The events of 1931 had struck a formidable blow to the hopes of a return to the pre-1914 "normalcy". Of course we had all known that there must be great changes resulting from the war: changes in economic and financial methods; still more, changes in concepts of social justice. But up to 1931 there was no reason to suppose that these would not, or could not, follow the same evolutionary pattern which had resulted from the increased creation and distribution of wealth throughout the nineteenth century. We had only to remove the hindrances to trade artificially created by the war and its aftermath. The rest would follow. Now, after 1931, many of us felt that the disease was more deep-rooted. It had become evident that the structure of capitalist society in its old form had broken down, not only in Britain but all over Europe and even in the United States. The whole system, therefore, had to be reassessed. Perhaps it could not survive at all; it certainly could not survive without radical change... [I]n the thirties, something like a revolutionary situation had developed, not only at home but overseas."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Prime Ministers of the United KingdomPoliticians from EnglandAcademics from the United KingdomPeople from LondonAutobiographers from the United Kingdom
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Winds of Change, 1914–1939 (1966), p. 283
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Harold_Macmillan
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Harold Macmillan
1957 – 1963
Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton OM PC (10 February 1894 – 29 December 1986) was a British Conservative politician and publisher who served six years as Prime Minister (1957–1963). As Prime Minister, he worked to decolonize the British Empire in Africa and repair United Kingdom–United States relations after the Suez Crisis. He also led the Conservative Party to accept the post-war consensus of Keynesian economics and the welfare state. However, he was forced to resign by the Profum
54 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Harold Macmillan →
Related Quotes
"We need not so much the gallantry of our fathers; we need (and in our army at any rate I think you will find it) that…"
"The only answer to Socialism was to build up by every means a property-owning democracy. Socialism promised to build …"
"In the course of some ninety years, the wheel has certainly turned full circle. The Protectionist case, which seemed …"
"Although I am still in favour of a National Government in these difficult times, and shall probably be found in the g…"
"It is not enough to deplore and condemn the political excesses and the economic inadequacies of the totalitarian stat…"
"America is “the new Roman empire and we Britons, like the Greeks of old, must teach them how to make it go.”"
"By the achievement of this period of our rule in India, the British stand justified. Much will be left in the materia…"
"I cannot forget the twenty-five years when I sat for a Tees-side constituency. I cannot forget those terrible times w…"
"Since the war we had produced a quarter more goods and services—and paid ourselves 80 per cent more money for doing i…"
"Perhaps the most extraordinary thing about a modern battlefield is the desolation and emptiness of it all... One cann…"