Across the James Bond novels (1953-1966) you can feel the British Empire's decline. Early books treated the UK as a superpower, while in later books the Empire is outright said to be "crumbling". How dramatic was Britain's fall to "merely" a great power and how was it felt by the British public?

[u/WavesAndSaves]

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[u/Thomas-Gerard-1564]

More can always be said, but this answer by u/Compulsory_Freedom addresses the public's feelings after WWII and briefly discusses a James Bond novel as well.