Introduction

This historical study explores how crises disrupt museums and the contrasting defensive and revolutionary approaches to crisis management which museums might take when resolving crises. It does so with a focus on the case of the Imperial War Museum during the Second World War era, 1933–1950. The current chapter introduces this study. It sets out the study’s case and investigative thrust, provides a synopsis for each substantive chapter, and presents the approach to data collection and analysis of data adopted for the study.