The Verdict of Peace evokes the dying embers of Britain's 20th-century influence. Between the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 and the Suez debacle of 1956, Great Britain squandered every opportunity to re-invent herself as an industrial nation. While Japan and Germany progressed and evolved, Britain stagnated. The new technologies passed her by, leaving other countries to dominate the market share. All this while industry stalled under prolonged industrial action and a chronic shortage of skilled workers. Correlli Barnett examines how British leaders and public opinion became beguiled by Britain's immediate past; as a victor in World War II, as an imperial power and by the ideals passed down from the Victorian age.