The audit of war: The illusion & reality of Britain as a great nation

The audit of war: The illusion & reality of Britain as a great nation by Correlli Barnett. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780333353769.

Correlli Barnett described his "Audit or War" as an operational study to uncover the causes of Britains protracted decline as an industrial country since the Second World War. On publication, this book swiftly became one of the most controversial and influential historical works of its time. The author argues that British industry during the Second World War was scandalously inefficient, a situation Barnett blamed on an establishment more concerned with welfare than with industry, technology or the capacity of the nation to fight a war.