The period after 1918 was a time when many people looked forward to peace and prosperity. However, many were disappointed for the League of Nations failed to contain aggressive powers, and by 1921 over two million people were unemployed, with the figure rising to nearly three million by 1933. The author attempts to reconstruct what it was like to be on the dole at that time and explains why unemployment was confined mainly to certain industries and areas in Britain. For those with work, though, the standard of living gradually rose, and this was also a period that saw the growth of industries supplying a mass market able to afford mass-produced cars, clothes, domestic appliances and other consumer goods. It was also a time of new entertainments, with cinemas and dance halls opening and the invention of the wireless. However, the author shows that despite these and many other changes, social classes remained distinct and a person's background largely determined his education, standard of housing, health and opportunities in general.