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Zusatztext In the nick of time, as its centenary approaches, David Torrance has rescued the first Labour government from the lay-by of British political history. With meticulous reconstruction and careful judgement, he shows there was more policy achievement in its precarious nine months of minority life than it has been given credit for. Civil war has always been Labour's special subject, but all the factions can agree on this - that David Torrance's story is a fine and fascinating piece of work with some intriguing parallels for our own times to savour and ponder. Informationen zum Autor David Torrance Klappentext The incredible story of the first Labour administration and the 'wild men' who shook up the British establishment. In 1923, in only the second election since all adult men had gained the vote, an unprecedented result opened the door for a radically different sort of government: men from working-class backgrounds, who had never before occupied the corridors of power in Westminster. The Wild Men 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 reassessesthe UK's first Labour government a century after it shook up a British establishment still reeling from the First World 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. Vorwort The incredible story of the first Labour administration and the 'wild men' who shook up the British establishment. Zusammenfassung A century ago a Labour government took power for the first time, meet the Wild Men who led the way... 'Thoroughly researched. brings superbly to life figures whom history should not have forgotten.' - Simon Heffer, Daily Telegraph 'A highly readable, enjoyable and informative book.' - John McTernan, Financial Times 'A meticulously researched collective biography.' - Andrew Marr, New Statesman 'Superb' -- New Statesman 'Fascinating' -- The Sunday Times In 1923, five short years since the end of the First World War, and after the passing of the Act which gave all men the vote, an inconclusive election result and the prospect of a constitutional crisis 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. Never before had men from such backgrounds occupied the corridors of power in Westminster. The Wild Men 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. Inhaltsverzeichnis Introduction 1 'A serious national misfortune' 2 'The most horrible job in my lif...
About the author
David Torrance is a constitutional specialist at the House of Commons Library and a widely published historian of Scottish and UK politics. He has written biographies of SNP politicians Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon, as well as the authorized biography of David Steel. The Wild Men: The Remarkable Story of Britain's First Labour Government is his latest book for Bloomsbury Continuum.
