The Portrayal of Post-War British Society in the Television Drama Peaky Blinders

Abstract

Peaky Blinders is a crime period drama set in Britain between the two World Wars. The show is based on an actual criminal gang which ruled the streets of Birmingham in the Victorian Era. In my thesis, I discuss the way period drama portrays the social and cultural changes in the aftermath of the First World War. Through character analysis, I present the images of ‘damaged men’, the veterans who try to cope with life after the trauma caused by the war. Connected to this I analyse the female characters, that illustrate the phenomenon of the ‘new woman’. I also discuss the threats that affected the life of the British society, mentioning here the communist movement, strikes and the Irish War of Independence and the way these are portrayed in the series.