The Neville Chamberlain Diary Letters - Volume 2: The Reform Years, 1921-27

As a primary source of historical evidence and insight, it is difficult to overstate the value and importance of Neville Chamberlain's diary letters to his sisters. They represent the most complete and illuminating 'insider' record of British politics between the wars yet to be published. From 1915 Chamberlain wrote detailed weekly epistles to his sisters until his death in 1940; a confidential account of events covering the quarter of a century during which he stood at the very centre of Conservative and national politics. Beyond the fascination of the historical record of people and events, these letters are extremely valuable for the remarkable light they throw upon the personality and character of the private man lurking behind the austerely forbidding public persona.

List of contents

Acknowledgements, Editor’s Note , List of Abbreviations, 1 Introduction – Neville Chamberlain – 1921–27: The Reform Years, 2 1921 – ‘To Speculate on Austen’s Position’: Backbench Frustrations and Disappointments, 3 1922 – ‘I Should Like to be Rid of the Goat’: Decline and Fall of the Coalition, 4 1923 – ‘Things Change so Quickly in Politics’: Postmaster-General, Health, the Treasury and Defeat, 5 1924 – ‘Lord! Lord! What a Funny World’: Opposition and the ‘New Conservatism’, 6 1925 – ‘I Might be a Great Minister of Health’: Pensions, Rating and Valuation, 7 1926 – ‘I am an Asset … of the Government’ West Ham, the Coal Dispute and Rural Housing, 8 1927 – ‘Everything is Going Wrong this Session’ Slums and the Frustrations of Poor Law Reform, Appendix I: The Chamberlain Household and Family, Appendix II: Primary Sources Consulted for Volume Two, Index

About the author

Robert Self

Summary

From 1915 until his death in 1940, Neville Chamberlain wrote detailed weekly epistles to his sisters. This volume collects together letters that he wrote between 1921 and 1927 - "The Reform Years" - and offers a primary source of historical evidence and insight.

Product details

• Assisted by: Robert Self (Editor), Self Robert (Editor)
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 31.12.2000
• EAN: 9781840146929
• ISBN: 978-1-84014-692-9
• No. of pages: 472
• Dimensions: 156 mm x 234 mm x 25 mm
• Weight: 453 g
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature > Letters, diaries; Humanities, art, music > History; European History, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Political, Diaries, letters & journals, LITERARY COLLECTIONS / Diaries & Journals, 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000, LITERARY COLLECTIONS / Letters, POLITICAL SCIENCE / World / European, HISTORY / Europe / Great Britain / 20th Century, Autobiography: historical, political & military, Politics & government, British & Irish history, United Kingdom, Great Britain, Politics and government, Autobiography: historical, political and military, Diaries, letters and journals, c 1919 to c 1939 (Inter-war period), c 1918 to c 1939 (Inter-war period)