Product Description

Stanley Baldwin (1867–1947) is one of the most significant modern British politicians, but also one of the most controversial and puzzling. As Conservative leader and three times prime minister, Baldwin presided over the beginning of his party’s long twentieth-century dominance. He did so in new and difficult conditions: the onset of modern democratic politics, the rise of Labour, chronic economic depression, the General Strike, persistent newspaper attacks, imperial discontent, the Abdication, and the threats from Mussolini and Hitler. This book provides an understanding of Baldwin’s career, including a serious analysis of the moral and intellectual influences of his early life. Its main concerns are the investigation of a Conservative mind, and its communication with the various audiences that constituted the political nation. This is not a conventional biography, but rather an examination of the nature of political leadership, Conservative politics and ‘national values’.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #808039 in Books
• Published on: 1999-08-28
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 394 pages

Review
‘Williamson’s is the best book on Baldwin yet … He deserves all possible credit for the diligence of his research, the breadth of his vision and the rigour of his analysis.’ Times Literary Supplement

‘… a masterpiece of craftsmanship, insight and persuasion … the best book on Baldwin … Williamson speaks with unrivalled authority … of general importance about politics in modern societies.’ The Spectator

‘Williamson argues his case convincingly, with a superb mastery of the primary sources … His … study puts the three-times premier back at centre-stage, as the most important politician in interwar Britain.’ History Today

‘Baldwin is the best book yet written about its subject.’ The Times

‘… outstanding …’ Kenneth O Morgan, The Independent

‘… ambitious … Williamson fulfils his intention to demonstrate a more productive method of studying a politician’s career than is usually supplied by the standard life.’ London Review of Books

‘… a valuable addition to the literature on pre-1945 politics.’ Anthony Howard, New Statesman

‘Philip Williamson[’s] … meticulously researched and thoughtful work … contains many insights and fascinating revelations.’ Ben Pimlott, The Guardian

Customer Reviews

A Masterpiece
Baldwin is one of Britain's least 'fashionable' twentieth century Prime Ministers, yet as Philip Williamson's book brilliantly demonstrates, he was one of the most innovative and effective political operators of the century. He can be credited not only with developing an entirely new way of communicating with the the electorate, but with reconstructing the popular base of the Conservative Party. Williamson's intelligent and measured approach draws out the different strands of Baldwin's political art and presents the reader with a vital and informative insight into this now sadly overlooked figure of British history.

Superb Book
This study of Baldwin is different in that it takes a thematic look at this most enigmatic of politicans. If you want to know how this 'man if the utmost insignificance' (Lord Curzon's words on learning that Baldwin, not he, was to be Conservative leader) came to bestride inter-war politics like a collosus, or how Baldwin created his own media style (the first P.M to use the broadcast media effectively) ignore the price and buy this book!