The End of Nigh

Few decades have given rise to such potent mythologies as the 1930s. Popular impressions of those years prior to the Second World War were shaped by the single outstanding personality of that conflict, Winston Spencer Churchill. Churchill depicted himself as a political prophet, exiled into the wilderness prior to 1939 by those who did not want to hear of the growing threats to peace in Europe. Although it is a familiar story, it is one we need to unlearn as the truth is somewhat murkier. The End is Nigh is a tale of relentless intrigue, burning ambition, and the bitter rivalry in British politics during the years preceding the Second World War. Journeying from the corridors of Whitehall to the smoking rooms of Parliament, and from aircraft factories to summit meetings with Hitler, the book offers a fresh and provocative interpretation of one of the most crucial moments of British history. It assembles a cast of iconic characters--Churchill, Neville Chamberlain, Stanley Baldwin, Clement Attlee, Anthony Eden, Ernest Bevin, and more--to explore the dangerous interaction between high politics at Westminster and the formulation of national strategy in a world primed to explode. In the twenty-first century we are accustomed to being cynical about politicians, mistrusting what they say and wondering about their real motives, but Robert Crowcroft argues that this was always the character of democratic politics. In The End is Nigh he challenges some of the most resilient public myths of recent decades--myths that, even now, remain an important component of Britain's self-image.

List of contents

• Preface


• 1: The Conservative Ascendancy


• 2: Empire and Intrigue


• 3: The Politics of Foreign Policy


• 4: Defending the Realm


• 5: Mr. Chamberlain's Quest


• 6: A Cacophony of Voices


• 7: Who Governs Britain?


• 8: Planting the Flag


• 9: The Die is Cast


• 10: State of Siege


• 11: Death in the Fjords


• 12: A New Order


• Conclusion


• Notes


• Index

Report

A penetrating, well-written study of the period... Nigel Jones, BBC History Magazine

Product details

• Authors: Robert Crowcroft, Robert (Senior Lecturer in History Crowcroft, Crowcroft Robert
• Publisher: Oxford University Press Trade
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 31.05.2019
• EAN: 9780198823698
• ISBN: 978-0-19-882369-8
• Dimensions: 158 mm x 241 mm x 25 mm
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > General, dictionaries; Non-fiction book; European History, HISTORY / Modern / General, 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000, International Relations, 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999, Political leaders & leadership, British & Irish history, Second World War, HISTORY / Europe / Great Britain / General, Modern warfare, c 1940 to c 1949, Inter-war period, 1918-1939, c 1919 to c 1939 (Inter-war period), History and Archaeology, Political leaders and leadership, HISTORY / Wars & Conflicts / World War II / General