Description

Book Synopsis

A WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024

A century ago, a Labour government took power for the first time. Meet the Wild Men who led the way...

''Superb'' -- New Statesman
''Fascinating'' -- The Sunday Times.

In 1923, the passing of the Act which gave all men the vote opened the door for a radically different sort of government: men from working-class backgrounds who had never before occupied the corridors of power at Westminster. Who were these wild men'? Ramsay MacDonald, their leader and Labour's first Prime Minster, was the illegitimate son of a Scottish farm labourer; Arthur Henderson was a Scottish iron moulder; J. H. Thomas, a Welsh railwayman; John Wheatley, an Irish-born miner and publican; and William Adamson, a Fife coal miner.

The Wild Men - this new edition with a fully updated preface - tells the story of that first Labour administration its unexpected birth, fraught existence, and controversial downfall through the eyes of those who found themselves in the House of Commons, running the country for the people. Blending biography and history into a compelling narrative, David Torrance reassesses the UK's first Labour government a century after it shook up a British establishment still reeling from the War and how the establishment eventually fought back.

This is an extraordinary period in British political history which echoes down the years to our current politics and laid the foundations for the Britain of today.

The Wild Men

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    A Paperback by David Torrance

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    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Mon 16 Nov 2026.

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      Book details

      Publisher Bloomsbury
      Imprint Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
      Published 1/16/2025 12:01:00 AM
      ISBN-13 9781399411479
      978-1399411479
      ISBN-10 1399411470
      Also in:
      Biography: adventurers and explorers

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      A WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024

      A century ago, a Labour government took power for the first time. Meet the Wild Men who led the way...

      ''Superb'' -- New Statesman
      ''Fascinating'' -- The Sunday Times.

      In 1923, the passing of the Act which gave all men the vote opened the door for a radically different sort of government: men from working-class backgrounds who had never before occupied the corridors of power at Westminster. Who were these wild men'? Ramsay MacDonald, their leader and Labour's first Prime Minster, was the illegitimate son of a Scottish farm labourer; Arthur Henderson was a Scottish iron moulder; J. H. Thomas, a Welsh railwayman; John Wheatley, an Irish-born miner and publican; and William Adamson, a Fife coal miner.

      The Wild Men - this new edition with a fully updated preface - tells the story of that first Labour administration its unexpected birth, fraught existence, and controversial downfall through the eyes of those who found themselves in the House of Commons, running the country for the people. Blending biography and history into a compelling narrative, David Torrance reassesses the UK's first Labour government a century after it shook up a British establishment still reeling from the War and how the establishment eventually fought back.

      This is an extraordinary period in British political history which echoes down the years to our current politics and laid the foundations for the Britain of today.

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