"The British Countryside in 1951"

1941 Wells, H[erbert] G[eorge] (1866-1946). “The British Countryside in 1951.” In his Guide to the New World: A Handbook of Constructive World Revolution (London: Victor Gollancz, 1941), 92-93. PSt

A very brief eutopia based on Germany being defeated in the war, the air coming under the control of a world authority, the establishment of world law based on a Declaration of Rights (included in the book 49-54), and the adoption of socialism. Some of the countryside has been allowed to return to its natural state and areas have been reforested. Villages have more amenities. Children from the cities will spend much time in the country. The old stately homes have been turned into country clubs and hotels. In “Future Cities” (96-97), he says that in this essay and “Uprooted People” (94-95), he was “trying to Imagine the face of the world in 1951, if civilisation wins the war” (92).