Gibraltar

"A succinct, smoothly written, and seriously researched study of the civilian history of Gibraltar from 1704. The book contains much that is original and persuasive about economic development, about social difference, social class and industrial relations, about Spanish as well as British influences on the community, and about the causes and pace of constitutional change. It demonstrates how a distinctive Gibraltarian identity was also prompted latterly by such contingent events as the Second World War, the ending of Empire, and Franco's disruption of what had normally been Gibraltar's largely open frontier with Spain." Professor Stephen Constantine, University of Lancaster "Chris Grocott and Gareth Stockey offer thought-provoking, often surprising, new insights into the transformation of Gibraltar from its initial role as a colonial military base to a mainly civilian society and economy, with its own democratic institutions. Gibraltar: A Modern History successfully weaves together an account of the complex and dynamic relationships between British, Spanish and Gibraltarian events and processes since 1704, and an explanation of the emergence of a distinct Gibraltarian political and cultural identity. This book is a welcome addition to the Gibraltar bibliography." Dr Sheelagh Elwood, Historian "Gibraltar: A Modern History is now the leading brief history of Gibraltar. It is steeped in scholarship and rich in insights, trenchant observations and vivid word-pictures. Grocott and Stockey have written an intelligent analysis that should stand for a long time to come." Martin Blinkhorn, Professor Emeritus of History, Lancaster University