Description
Book SynopsisNick Thomas-Symonds is the current Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade. Previously a barrister and academic, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in 2012 and has been the Member of Parliament for Torfaen since 2015. He is the author of
Nye: The Political Life of Aneurin Bevan (2014) and
Harold Wilson: The Winner (2022).
Trade Reviewa thoroughly impressive piece of work - authoritative, reliable and perceptive ... This is rightly billed as a 'political biography' and in the realm of politics it is remarkably sure-footed * Anthony Howard *
[a] brisk, well-written and admirably clear-sighted biography * Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times *
Very interesting and well researched. The reader gets a real sense of Attlee's life and politics, and the portrait of him is well-rounded and nuanced. This biography will be very useful for students seeking to gain a clear understanding of Attlee and marks a useful addition to the canon of Labour history * Matthew Worley, Lecturer in History, University of Reading *
... to paraphrase Churchill, this was unquestionably Labour's finest hour. But how much of this can be attributed to the leadership of Clement Attlee himself? This is the question at the heart of Nick Thomas-Symonds excellent biography. * Guy Lodge, LSE Review of Books *
... goes a long way towards explaining the Attlee enigma * Vernon Bogdanor, New Statesman *
Table of ContentsForeword by Keir Starmer INTRODUCTION to the New Edition CHAPTER ONE: GROWING UP IN VICTORIAN ENGLAND, 1883 - 1901 CHAPTER TWO: FROM OXFORD TO THE EAST END, 1901 - 1914 CHAPTER THREE: THE FIRST WORLD WAR, 1914-1918 CHAPTER FOUR: THE POLITICAL APPRENTICESHIP, 1918-1922 CHAPTER FIVE: A NEW MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, 1922-24 CHAPTER SIX: OPPOSITION AND INDIAN AFFAIRS, 1924-30 CHAPTER SEVEN: IN GOVERNMENT, 1930-1931 CHAPTER EIGHT: BACK IN OPPOSITION, 1931-35 CHAPTER NINE: LABOUR LEADERSHIP, 1935-39 CHAPTER TEN: FROM OPPOSITION TO GOVERNMENT, 1939 - 1942 CHAPTER ELEVEN: DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND DOMINIONS SECRETARY, 1942-43 CHAPTER TWELVE: DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL, 1943 - 45 CHAPTER THIRTEEN: THE 1945 GENERAL ELECTION CHAPTER FOURTEEN: ATTLEE AS PRIME MINISTER CHAPTER FIFTEEN: THE SCALE OF THE CHALLENGE, JULY - NOVEMBER 1945 CHAPTER SIXTEEN: FULFILLING THE PARTY’S AMBITIONS - NATIONAL INSURANCE, NATIONAL HEALTH, AND NATIONALIZATION, 1945 - 1948 CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: INDIA CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: BRITAIN AND AMERICA, 1945-1951 CHAPTER NINETEEN: COAL AND CURRENCY: ATTLEE’S LEADERSHIP CRISIS OF 1947 CHAPTER TWENTY: MISSED OPPORTUNITIES? 1948-1949 CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: POLITICAL TROUBLES, 1949-51 CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: MANAGING THE PARTY, 1951-55 CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: THE LAST YEARS, 1955-1967 CONCLUSION
