Britain is an important country for Scandinavians and is a fascinating study object for both political, cultural, social and historical reasons. This book, written with a non-British reader in mind, contributes to giving a better and clearer picture of the country. The focus is on understanding the main features of contemporary British society through discussions of political, historical and cultural processes. The text is written in an essayistic style, providing arguments and explanations rather than mere facts and figures, a form which encourages the reader into further explorations of British culture, history and literature. The book is primarily aimed at students of English and students engaged in the study of British culture, civilisation, history and social sciences.